Han Solo Lives Again
by sunbehindclouds
Summary: Han Solo survived Starkiller Base; they had simply gone on and off the planet without confronting any emo relatives with ego issues. I would say spoilers for The Last Jedi, but I'm sure all of you have seen it by now. Rating just in case. ON HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**A/N -** So in my story, Han Solo never died. He, Rey, Finn, and Chewy simply went on and off Starkiller Base without confronting any emo relatives with ego issues.

This is mostly because, even after two years, I still can't reconcile myself with the fact that Han Solo is dead. He was my favorite character from the original trilogy, and I just can't get over it. I would say spoilers for The Last Jedi, but I'm sure that all of you have already seen it by now. Also, the only people that know Ben is Kylo Ren are Luke, Leia, Han, and Snoke.

 **Disclaimer -** I don't own Star Wars, because if I did Han Solo never would have died.

* * *

The Falcon landed at the Rebel base on D'Quar, nearly crashing into three X-Wings, five trees and the occasional native inhabitant, which reminded Han all too much of an Ewok.

In other words, it was a perfect landing.

Rey was sitting in the back, half-heartily examining the famous Skywalker lightsaber. Finn was sitting next to her, looking nervous, exited, and mad all at the same time.

Chewie was in the co-pilot seat, busy trying not to crash the Falcon into anything _too_ important.

As for Han, he was pretending to be fully absorbed into flying his ship, but inside he felt like he was melting.

 _Ben._

The word repeats itself in his brain, mercilessly reminding him of the one person in the galaxy he wanted to stay far away from, and yet see at the same time.

As much as he tried, as much whiskey that went down, as much distance as he put between himself and his family, Han knew he could never forget them.

Because no matter what, they were still family.

* * *

Walking off the ramp, Han scanned the large crowd for only one person in particular.

 _Leia._

The other person that had broken his heart, the other one that felt his loss just as much as he did (besides Luke.)

Instead of his wife, however, a small, blue, famous astromech bumped into his leg.

"Artoo?"

The droid gave a few beeps and whistles, expressing his joy to see Han alive and well as best he could.

Hearing footsteps, Han looked up and saw Leia standing over the droid, a small smile playing on her lips.

"He woke up while you were on Starkiller."

"What did you do, electrocute him?"

Leia snorted. "No, I didn't, Dameron did."

Just when Han thought there was absolutely nothing in the galaxy that could surprise him, he got another shock to the face.

" _Dameron_ did it?"

She laughed. "Sort of. He noticed Artoo's power was starting to come back on, so he sparked him to, ah, _hasten_ the process."

Han just nodded. It seemed as though all Rebel pilots had this independent, naughty streak.

Which reminded him.

 _Luke._

His best friend in the whole universe, his brother, the only person he could really talk to, was still missing, and with him, a piece of Han's heart.

When he first met Luke, he thought he was looking at some wet-behind-the-ears fourteen year old kid and some old dude who were willing to give him money for a lift. A large amount of money, at that.

Little did he know his life was about to change for the better.

* * *

Han was unsure how to react as Artoo put in the missing piece for the map to Luke.

Luke.

His friend.

He glanced over at Leia, wanting to see her reaction. Her face was clear of emotions, as usual (Han figured it must be a Jedi thing), but her eyes sparkled with something that he hadn't seen, hadn't felt in years.

 _Hope._

* * *

 **A/N -** So how do you like it? This is my first FanFiction, so please don't judge me too harshly. Constructive criticism more than welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

Getting on the Falcon, Han took once last look behind him.

After a long heated, boring argument, they had finally decided that it would be best for Han to go get Luke, since Leia had to run the Resistance. Sighing, he turned around and continued the climb up to the cockpit.

Not many people were coming, just him, Chewie, Artoo, and Threepio, but he was used to a much smaller crew, and the area felt crowded.

Rey had wanted to come with him, but Leia had gently shot her down, pointing out that she didn't even know Luke, and it would be best if she just waited on D'Quar.

Han could see her now out the window, busily chatting with her new friends, Poe and Finn.

Smiling ruefully to himself, Han began the takeoff sequence. Those three reminded him to much of himself, Luke, and Leia.

Sighing, he remembered Leia's parting words - "Please Han, bring my - our - brother back. He's the only one now that can make things right.''

Part of Han agreed with Leia. After all, hadn't Luke been the one to turn Vader and to blow up the Death Star? The kid had certainly done more than his fair share in making the galaxy a better place.

The other part of him, however, felt a little hurt that Leia had realized Han wasn't going to be able to do much more at this point.

Shaking off his negative feelings, Han typed in the coordinates that would lead him to Luke. Luke! His long-lost friend, brother, and, sometimes, mentor.

 _Well_ , thought Han to himself, _here goes nothing._

Han Solo pressed the hyperspace button.

* * *

Han spent the entire trip feeling conflicted. Usually, he was not a man for jitters, but now was one of those rare exceptions.

 _What if he hates me? What is he's not there? What if he doesn't want to talk? What if he refuses to come with me? What if_ -

"Excuse me, sir, but I believe we are coming out of hyperspace."

Han snapped back into reality as the tall, annoying droid pointed out the obvious. Chewie growled something about how Han usually wasn't one to daydream.

Han only grunted in response, feeling too nervous to engage in their usual friendly banter.

Craning his neck, Han could just see a watery, grassy world coming up. If Luke was here, he would have no trouble believing it. Han had spent more times that he could count listening to Luke complain about his boring, sandy homeworld. Han usually pretended to be annoyed hearing Luke talk all the time, but he secretly liked it, as did Leia. Whether Luke knew as much he was unsure.

Feeling more nervous than before, if that was even possible, Han began to activate the landing sequence. Did Luke know he was on the planet? Usually the Jedi could tell when people were approaching him, but maybe he had cut himself off from the force, if that were even possible.

Again, Threepio's annoying chatter woke him up.

"We have landed on the surface."

This time, it was Chewie who answered to the golden hunk of metal.

 _Honestly_ , thought Han, _did we really have to bring him along?_

Sighing, Han grabbed the lightsaber, the droid, (who protested loudly) and his blaster, which he always carried around just in case.

Right outside the door, Han froze. Could he really do this? Could he really go confront the man who had been his brother again?

 _Yes_ , he told himself, _yes I can._

* * *

 **A/N -** So how did you like it? Please R&R, and again constructive criticism is more than welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

Han walked up the stone steps, wondering how in the universe Luke could stand to do this every day. _If_ he was here, that is.

Han didn't have the force (as far as he knew), but something made him feel - made him _know_ \- that Luke was on the planet. It was as though that piece of him that disappeared with Luke had finally come back.

Yes, his brother was here.

He could feel it.

* * *

There he was.

A man, dressed in tattered robes with greying, salt-and-pepper hair was staring out at the ocean, arms wrapped around himself.

Han took a deep breath, wondering if Luke could sense he was there.

 _Of course he can,_ Han told himself, _he's a_ Jedi.

And yet...

* * *

Han felt confused.

Should he talk first, or would Luke talk first?

Or should he just get out of there and escape his past while he still could?

Summoning all his strength, Han held out the lightsaber.

"I think this is yours."

There. He had said it.

Luke slowly turned around, lowering his hood as he did so.

"Han..."

Han struggled not to let his voice shake.

"Hey, kid."

Luke's appearance was very different from the last time Han saw him - beard, gray hair, older - but there was something else, something that Han couldn't quite name. It was as though someone had sucked all the life out of his friend.

What struck Han the most was his eyes. Even when in pain, Luke Skywalker's eyes had always been lively and full of energy. Now they looked drained of all light, just like the rest of him.

Luke took a tentative step forward, then stopped. He seemed uncertain, waiting for Han's approval to do something.

A few moments of awkward silence passed between them before Han held out the lightsaber again.

"This is yours."

Luke slowly blinked once, then twice.

"Where did you get it?"

Wow. Luke's voice sounded so... _different._

Han could hardly believe there was a time when Luke had been the confident, bold, happy young man he once was. Now he was barely a shell of a man.

"A pirate had it. Name was Maz Kanata. Wouldn't tell me where she got it, though."

Luke just nodded, looking strangely far away. He took another step forward, and another.

Suddenly, by mutual agreement, the two men rushed at each other and embraced tightly, neither of them ever wanting to let go.

"I'm sorry," whispered Luke into Han's shirt, feeling tears welling up. "I'm so, so, so, _so_ sorry."

Han could only nod. "I know, kid. I-" he swallowed -"I'm sorry too."

After what seemed like ages, the two men finally broke apart.

Luke looked Han in the eyes. "How did you find me?"

Han shrugged, some of his brashness returning. "We had a map."

"We?"

Han smiled. "Yeah, _we_. Me, Leia, Artoo, BB-8, and a bunch of Resistance guys."

Luke looked at his friend.

"So you've been helping the Resistance?"


	4. Chapter 4

Han sighed, enjoying the wind in his hair, the cool, crisp, clean night air, but most of all being with Luke again.

They had spent they day exchanging stories - or, rather, Han bringing Luke up-to-date - and now Han wanted to hear Luke's side of the story.

That could wait though.

Now, they were sitting together outside one of the small huts, staring at the stars and enjoying each other's company.

Han was wondering how to break the silence when Luke spoke first.

"So, I guess you came here to try and convince me to come back."

Han took a deep breath. "Yeah, that's right."

He snuck a peek at his friend, wanting to see his reaction. Strangely, Luke seemed unmoved, picking at the grass with his cybernetic left hand.

"Will you?"

Luke's head perked up, and he turned to face Han. "Will I what?"

"Come back with me."

Luke let out a long breath of air and turned away. "I-I don't know."

Han sighed. He had known that it would probably be difficult to get Luke to come back. After all, when someone leaves the galaxy and lives as a hermit by themselves on some backwater planet it usually means they want to be left alone.

Still, he had to try.

"Well, why don't you want to come back?"

"Don't you see?" Luke looked up, eyes watering. "How can I go back when I failed the way I did? I _failed,_ Han. I failed _you_ , I failed _Leia_ , I failed _Ben_ , I failed _everybody_! Countless people are dead now because of _my_ failures!"

After a brief moment of hesitation, Han gently placed a hand on his friend's back. "It weren't your fault, kid. None of it - leastways, not _all_ of it. Leia and I, we - we're to blame, too."

Luke shook his head. "No, you're not."

"Yes, we are. Ben, he...he was _our_ son, not yours. We should've been the ones looking out for him, not you."

"But I _felt_ him going to the dark side, I _knew_ he was being tempted, I just didn't do enough. I should've been there, done more."

Han formed his next words very carefully.

"Look, kid, it wasn't your fault. You did all you could, which is saying quite a bit. Besides even if it _was_ true - which it's not - you're not helping anybody by sitting around here _moping._ "

Luke pretended to look offended. "I'm not moping."

Han cracked a grin. "Yeah? What are you doing then?"

"I-I just..." Luke sighed, "I don't want to hurt anybody any more than I already have."

"Nonsense." Han brushed away Luke's argument with a wave of his hand. "Luke, you don't have to be afraid of doing anything like that. We're your family, and we look out for each other. Besides, I - we - missed you, and...it hurt a lot when you left.''

Luke winced. "I'm sorry!"

Han gently rubbed Luke's back. "S'okay, kid. We're here for you and want to help, but only if you'll let us. So, will you come back?"

No answer.

"Luke?"

* * *

Han stretched, savoring the feeling of the early sun warm in his limbs.

Last night, he had tried reasoning with Luke in every way he knew how, but the Jedi's response was always an unshakable _no_ , he was _not_ coming back.

Han wished Leia were here. She was always so much better at this sort of thing. No use hoping for the impossible, though. Today, Han Solo had a mission, and he was going to go through with it even if that meant tying Luke in a bag and _dragging_ him back to the Resistance base.

Somehow, he didn't think Leia would find that very amusing.

Speaking of which, where _was_ Luke?

Looking down from the top of the cliff, Han saw a certain gray-robed someone enter the Falcon. So _that's_ where he was.

 _Maybe Threepio or Artoo cat get him to change his mind_ , thought Han.

Realizing there was no use in delaying the inevitable, Han began to slowly pick his way down the rock face and headed for his ship.

* * *

 **A/N-** I know I've said this before, but please, R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

Finally, _finally_ they were going back.

It had taken Han Solo 2 days, 6 threats, 3 calls to Leia, and several urges to chuck something at the nearest droid, but he had finally managed to convince Luke to come back with him to the Rebel base.

Currently, the Jedi was sitting in the back, staring into empty space and not talking. Artoo had tried to engage him in conversation, but was unsuccessful.

Han sighed; this was going to be a long trip.

* * *

There were a lot of things Han didn't expect.

One of them was finding an empty planet where the Resistance base used to be.

The wind was blowing furiously through the trees, giving the area an eerie, abandoned feel.

"Reckon they've moved?" asked Luke, raising his voice to be heard over the wind.

Han shrugged. "Leia didn't tell me anything."

As if on que, his comlink buzzed.

Ignoring Luke's smirk, Han activated the comlink and brought it to his face. "Captain Solo here."

To his surprise, however, the answer was not the one nr the person he expected.

"Captain Solo, this is Vice Admiral Holdo of the Resistance. I trust you have found Commander Skywalker by now?"

"Erm..."

Han hesitated, unsure of how to respond.

"I see. Well, when you do find him, please report to our new location on the planet of Crait. Thank you, that is all."

The comlink shut of with a _click_.

Han looked at Luke, hoping for an explanation, but his friend looked just as clueless as he did.

* * *

On the way to Crait, Luke was definitely more talkative.

"What do you think happened to Leia? Do you know who that was? How long will it take to get to Crait?"

Han pretended to act indifferent, but truth was he was just as worried as Luke.

"Knowing Leia, she'll be fine, kid."

Luke smiled.

"Somethin' funny?"  
"It's just that, despite my age, you're still calling me kid."

Han laughed. "You'll always be a kid compared to me."

"True enough."

* * *

 ** _Meanwhile, back on Crait..._**

"Doctor, how is the General's condition?"

"Hard to be certain, Admiral, but I think she'll be fine."

Vice Admiral Holdo nodded, then immediately frowned as Commander Dameron approached her from behind.

"How is she?"

Holdo regarded him with an air of suspicion. "Don't you have better things to do, Commander?"

"Actually, I don't."

"Allow me to make you busy, then."

Poe looked as though he would like to start a mutiny against her. "All I want to know is how my General is doing."

"She is fine. Now I suggest you go find something to do."

Poe gave a slight nod, then exited the medical ward.

* * *

"Are you sure about this?"

"Would I be telling you if I wasn't?"

Poe, Rey, Finn, and Rose were huddled together behind some ships, discussing mutiny, breaking orders, and possible death.

"Look," said Poe, "the First Order is tracking us in hyperspace, right? We're not going to survive much longer if this keeps up. The four of us know they are tracking us with something, but the Vice Admiral (here they all scowled) isn't doing anything. If we can just maybe sneak away, we could disable it and give the Resistance time to escape."

"This is all very nice," said Rey, "but how are we going to arrange it? How would we even be able to 'escape' without the Vice Admiral noticing?"

"See, I've thought of that. Some of the other crew members are with me, and if we can keep her occupied for long enough, we should be able to pull it off."

"How," interrupted Rose, "would we be able to disable the tracker anyway?"

At this, Poe had to smile. "I know just the person for that."


	6. Chapter 6

Han wasn't sure what he expected to find on Crait, but this certainly wasn't it.

 _Honestly_ , he thought to himself, _could they have chosen a worse location?_

Glancing over at Luke, he could tell his friend was thinking the same thing.

Han landed the ship behind some rocks, trying to steer clear of the pesky ice-wolf things all over the place. Finally finding a relatively smooth place to dock, Han gently brought the ship down, being mindful of any planetary natives.

On the planet's surface was something that vaguely reminded Han of Hoth, except the white substance here was finer and, when removed, revealed a red layer of salt, easily mistaken for less obvious things.

Luke was standing next to the pilot's seat, looking more anxious than Han had ever seen him (besides Endor, that is.) Whether his nervousness was due to Leia or the First Order being on the same planet Han couldn't tell.

After taking a moment to calm his nerves, Han rose from his chair and beckoned for the Wookie to follow him out of the ship, where Luke already was.

Stepping outside, the landscape was even more dazzling from inside a ship. Huge white glaciers rose up from the icy surface, topping the planet with their sparkling white rock faces. Where he stepped the ground turned red due to the salt underneath the thin surface.

Realizing that Luke was already well ahead of him, Han stopped daydreaming and hastened after his friend, Wookie and droids in tow. As marvelous and breathtaking as the landscape was, that still didn't compensate for the frigid conditions it provided.

Wrapping his coat tighter around himself, Han caught up to Luke, who had frozen in front of the cave entrance that would lead inside of the Resistance base. Looking at his friend's face, Han saw a strange mixture of fear, loss, regret, hope, anger, and guilt. Usually, out of the three of them, Luke was the one who had the best hold on his emotions, something Han attributed to being a Jedi.

Now, however, was one of those rare exceptions.

Taking a deep breath, Luke shook of his fears and stepped inside.

* * *

"So, will you help us?"

Poe Dameron and co were staring at a hologram depicting the famous (or infamous) Maz Kanata, trying to get her to help them in their plan.

Hopefully, she wouldn't be too held up with other things.

The pirate was currently looking at the group thoughtfully, almost amusingly. "Well, I don't know, I'm kind of busy right now..."

It wasn't very often Poe stooped to begging, but desperate times call for desperate measures. "Please?"

The smuggler instantly broke into a smile, her trademark _Ha! I fooled you!_ look on her face.

"Of course I'll help you," she assured them, "the survival of the Resistance is much more important than what I'm dong right now."

Poe let out the breath he hadn't even realized he was holding in. "Thanks, we owe you a ton."

Maz winked. "No problem."

* * *

Han and Luke were usually not the nervous type. After all hadn't they gone out into blizzards, faced ego-centric Hutts, and confronted evil Sith fathers?

This time, however, was very, very different.

Luke had his eyes closed, and Han knew his friend well enough to take that as a sign of anxiety.

Unsure of what to do, and feeling just as nervous as his friend, Han gently placed a hand on the Jedi's arm. Immediately Luke's eyes shot open, and he gave Han a look that the smuggles knew all too well.

 _It's time._

* * *

 **A/N-** Okay so I am making some _slight_ changes from what happened in TLJ (The Last Jedi.)

Just to clear up confusion, I'm going to list the differences between my story and the movie.

\- After they left Ach-To, the Resistance began to head for Crait to set up their new base, unaware that the First Order was tracking them by lightspeed. Only Rose, Poe, Finn, and Rey have figured it out.

\- On the way to Crait, Leia was sucked into space, like in the movie, but she still hasn't woken up.

\- Poe and co are trying to start a secret mission to go to the First Order and destroy the device that is tracking them. As of right now, Vice Admiral Holdo knows nothing of either the tracker or the plan.

Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to R&R!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N-** Yay! Next chapter is up! Anyways, just wanted to say thanks to all reviewers and readers and all, you really make my day.

* * *

"My name is Luke Skywalker."

With those five words, everyone within three yards of the conversation fell silent. It was so quiet, you could hear an Ewok drop.

Han and Luke had finally mustered the courage to go into the base, and then had nervously hung around the back before confronting anyone. Finally Han had spotted someone he recognized (one of the pilots) and dragged a very reluctant Luke over.

The pilot had looked unsure at first, but once he saw Han, you didn't need to be a Jedi to see how much he had relaxed. Now that he thought about it, Han noticed that all the Resistance fighters were looking unusually tense.

After introducing himself as Pike Leewood, the young man had politely asked for the name of Han's friend.

"My name is Luke Skywalker."

Everyone within nine feet was now staring directly at the trio, making at least two of them feel immensely uncomfortable.

"Y-you-you're..."

Luke took a deep breath a nd nodded slightly, hoping the pilot's reaction wouldn't be too concerning (or loud.)

"I-I... I guess you'd like to talk to the-uh, the Vice Admiral?"

"Yes,'' said Luke, "yes we would."

Looking as though he was in a trance, the pilot escorted them across the room, followed by about a dozen piercing, watchful eyes. Finally they stopped in front of a tall woman with short, purple hair wearing a dress.

 _Wait, purple hair? What?_

Before Han had time to ponder strange hair color choices any further, the woman (Han guessed she must be Vice Admiral Holdo) extended a cordial greeting, somehow making such warm words feel cold.

"My name is Vice Admiral Holdo, and you are?"

Before their pilot escort could answer, Han spoke up.

"My name is Han Solo, and this here is Luke Skywalker," he said with equal politeness.

All of the cocky, show-off arrogance the woman had been wearing instantly vanished, and all the color drained out of her face. She opened her mouth as if to speak, but couldn't make any words come out. In her interesting, brain-dead period, she vaguely reminded Han of something he had once met called a 'Jar Jar Binks.' Now _that_ was a meeting that hadn't gone over very well.

After several seconds passed without any response from the Vice Admiral, Han began to feel slightly concerned.

Luke cleared his thought.

"A-hh..." Another attempt at speaking proved unsuccessful.

Han arched an eyebrow.

"I..." Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Vice Admiral Holdo at last regained her composure. "I assume you are here to stay?"

Han winced. _Ouch_. He snuck a quick peek at Luke, who appeared unfazed, but he knew his friend better.

"Yes, at least for the present moment. Would you mind telling me where the General is?"

The Vice-Admiral gave a sympathetic/patronizing smile. "Oh, General Organa? She's in the medical ward, third room on the right.

Both men's eyes simultaneously went wide. " _Medical_ ward?" gasped Luke.

Holdo gave a slight nod. "Yes. She was caught in an unfortunate accident. Miracle she survived, really."

Han felt like strangling her. Hoe could she just _stand_ there and talk so calmly about his wife's near death? _How could she?_ A glance over at Luke told him that his friend was having very similar thoughts.

"But she's alright?" This time it wasn't Luke who answered, it was Han, but the concern was undoubtedly the same.

"Yes, of course, I wouldn't worry."

 _She's my kriffin'_ wife _!_ Han nodded, matching her cold politeness. "Could we...?"

"Of course," she said, turning to Pike and giving him a smile. "Captain Leewood, why don't you show these two to the medical ward?"

"Of course, Vice Admiral."

* * *

Poe, Rey, Finn, and Rose were all standing stock-still, much like the rest of the Rebellion.

 _Was that Luke Skywalker? As in_ Luke Skywalker _?!_

"Erm..." Rey cleared her throat, attempting to bring her friends' minds back to the current time. "Are you all alright?''

Finn snapped his mouth shut, looking a bit sheepish. "Y-yeah, we're fine."

Rose was breathing heavily, looking totally blown away. "Was that really _Luke Skywalker?_ "

Poe nodded, hardly being able to believe it himself. "Somehow, I always imagined he'd look a little...different."

"Yeah," agreed Finn, ''he is very different from what I thought."

Poe had always though of Luke Skywalker as tall, and brave with sort of a commanding air about him. The real person, however, was about 5'8'', pretty old, and very nervous-looking, as though he was worried about messing something up.

"Do you know why he left in the first place?" Rey's question jolted him out of his daydreaming, but it was Finn who responded. "No one knows - except the General and Captain Solo, probably."

Rey looked unconvinced. "I though Han said he left because one of his pupils turned rogue?"

Finn shrugged. "C'mon, how can that be enough to make someone like him leave?"

"There's probably more to the story than we know," agreed Rose.

"Let's get back to the mission at hand, shall we?" asked Poe. "We kind of have a mutiny to perform."

* * *

 **A/N-** This is my longest chapter yet. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to R&R!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N-** Haven't done a disclaimer for a while, so I figured I might as well do another one now.

 **Disclaimer -** I do not own Star Wars, though Force knows how much I wish I did.

* * *

Luke had been preparing himself for seeing his sister for the first time in six years, but he wasn't ready to see her in a medical ward.

By an obvious display of emotion, neither was Han, though he'd seen Leia much more recently.

Commander Leewood had lead them through a small, gray, slightly damp corridor towards the medical ward. Luke had to look down every ten seconds to make sure he wouldn't step on any droids or ship parts. Though the Resistance had been tightly packed in his time, he couldn't remember it being _this_ crowded.

After what seemed like forever, they had finally reached a room, third door on the right. After informing them this was the General's room, Commander Leewood had hastened away. Whether this was out of fear or being busy Luke couldn't tell.

And now here it was. The moment of truth. Hand hovering over the datapad that would open the door, Luke froze, realizing that he still had a choice. He could to choose to leave again, choose to separate himself from the rest of the universe one more.

Yet Luke couldn't forget how Han's eyes had looked when he found him on Ach-To, how desperate, hopeful his friend had looked.

So Luke made his choice.

He stepped inside.

* * *

"Okay, let's go over this one more time."

Poe and co were gathered around a small crate, putting the final touches to their _brilliant_ *ahem* mutiny plan.

"Lemme get this straight," said Finn. "Rose and I go to Canto Bight where we meet up with Maz, who is our master code breaker."

"Instead of some weirdo that we don't know that could potentially betray us, yes," affirmed Poe.

"Right," continued Finn. "So to Canto Bight, and from there go with Maz to the First Order's command ship where the tracker is located. Then, we destroy it with Maz's help, inform you that the Resistance can escape, travel back to the Resistance base, and somehow manage to pull it all off without seriously screwing up."

Laughing, Poe clapped his friend on his back. "I thinks you're starting to get the hang of this Resistance business."

* * *

There she was.

Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan, Senator Organa, General Organa.

His sister.

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Luke carefully stepped across the cluttered floor and knelt by his sister's bedside. Han did the same, but on the other side.

Luke gently look her hand, whispering her name. "Leia..." Glancing over at his friend, Luke could see a large jumble of emotions, the most prominent of them being guilt.

Guilt for leaving her when their son turned. Guilt for not coming back. Guilt for wanting to forget her.

Luke could relate.

Several long moments went by, and neither of them said a word. Then, suddenly and yet slowly, the General's eyelids began to move.

Luke gasped, eyes wide, suddenly feeling very, very nervous.

"Luke...? Is-" she swallowed "-is that you?"

Tightening his grip on her hand Luke managed a short, subtle nod. "Yeah. Yes, I'm here Leia - it's me."

Smiling, the General gently sat up, slowly regaining her consciousness. "I knew you would come back."

Luke took a deep, shuddering breath, trying very hard to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill at any moment. "Leia, I - I'm so sorry."

Leia only smiled and pressed herself against her brother's chest, willing to forget, at least for the moment.

"It's good to see you again."

* * *

 **A/N-** Don't forget to R&R!


	9. Chapter 9

Finn was feeling pretty nervous.

Everything here was new to him. The people, the cause he was fighting for, the ships, the rules, even the _food_.

But being allowed to have emotions was definitely the most different of all.

In Basic Stormtrooper training, Finn had learned emotions were a bad thing that were not to be tolerated. They only slowed you down, and only the weak felt them. Upon joining the Resistance, however, he had learned that emotions were a natural part of life. Some were good, and others were bad. They could either make you fight harder, or turn you evil.

So long as you were careful not to let them control you, emotions were a perfectly acceptable, normal occurrence.

So feeling nervous, of feeling anything at all, was a big change for him.

He was sitting in the co-pilot's seat in a 'borrowed' ship (their's had been equally 'borrowed' by some redneck pirates.) Rose was in the captain's seat, totally absorbed in piloting. Earlier she had shown Finn the necklace she had, the only thing left of her sister now.

Finn had decided not to push the subject.

Maz was sitting in the back, fooling around with (sorry, _examining_ ) some sort of blaster she had found on Canto Bight. Honestly, Finn couldn't tell what the big deal about it was, but hey, if she was going crazy (which he doubted) then it was none of _his_ business.

Rose's voice woke him up. "We're approaching the First Order ship."

* * *

Luke, Leia, and Han were sitting together on the medical bed, filling each other in on what had happened in the last six years.

"...and that's when Chewie and I found the Falcon, so we figured, 'Hey, let's go take back what's ours'."

Leia smiled. "I am never going to understand how attached you are to that piece of junk."

Inwardly, Luke grinned to himself. It was good to hear his friends bicker again.

Another part of him, however, couldn't be satisfied as easily. As much as they tried to forget the past, Janie's body still came in between them.

"I still can't believe the only things you were talking to for the past six years was porgs."

Han's teasing voice brought Luke back to the present. "Huh? Oh, I was talking to rocks, too. You'd be surprised how good they are at listening."

Han and Leia gave Luke a weird look, unable to tell whether he was joking or not.

Han decided for the latter.

"So, I noticed that the First Order is _kind of_ on the same planet as we are." Han's observation, though necessary, brought back painful memories that Luke would have preferred to be left unmentioned for as long as possible.

Leia stiffened. "The First Order is _here_?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, but they're, like, on the other side of the planet. Hard to say if they even know we're here."

"Whose _brilliant_ idea was it to set up base _on the same planet as the First Order?!_ "

At Leia's reaction, Han had to laugh. "You have your Vice Admiral to thank for that."

"Vice Admiral?" she echoed, confusion written across her face. "Which Vice Admiral?"

Luke paled slightly. "You're kidding, right?"

* * *

Poe was hanging around the comm, waiting for Finn's signal so he could announce to the rest of the Resistance that the time to leave was _now_. (Or whenever Finn called, that is.)

After several hours, however, he was beginning to feel rather nervous.

Poe knew that the Vice Admiral was beginning to feel suspicious of him, hanging around the main consul like that. As much as he didn't care about her opinions, she _did_ have the power to derail the entire mission.

Poe decided to resort to positive thinking.

Inwardly, he tried to convince himself that everything was going to be okay. After all, Rey was keeping tabs on the Her-royal-purple-hairness (his personal nickname for Vice Admiral Holdo), and she would contact him if anyone was beginning to suspect anything.

As each second passed by, however, he had a harder time controlling his anxiousness.

* * *

 **A/N-** Another difference between my story and the movie that I forgot to mention earlier is that Kylo Ren (Ben) was sixteen when he turned and is currently twenty-two. Hope this didn't cause too much confusion. Don't forget to R&R!


	10. Chapter 10

Finn strode through the ship's corridors, doing his best to act like he belonged there. Rose was just behind him, also disguised in First Order garb, and Maz was doing her best to stay in the shadows.

Every time a Stormtrooper or other personnel walked by, he would began to sweat like crazy. Part of him was amazed that none on the guards could hear his heart pounding.

Finally, they turned a corner and stopped in front of the controls to open the room with the tracker. Finn found it a little unnerving that it wasn't better protected, but he decided to think positively.

Maz jumped up onto Rose's shoulder and began to override the system, careful not to alert anyone to their presence. Finn kept glancing down the unnaturally-clean, shiny hallway every ten seconds, expecting some Stormtroopers to show up at any moment.

At last, with a soft _click_ , the door opened.

There it was. The hyperspace tracker in all of its terrible glory.

Taking a deep breath, Finn clenched his hands tightly on his blaster, trying to stop them from shaking so much. Glancing at Rose, he could tell she was just as nervous, but was doing a much better job of hiding it.

Footsteps sounded behind them. Finn turned around, eyes wide with fear, to find several Stormtroopers, one wearing a silver uniform.

Then everything went black.

* * *

"You're kidding, right?"

Luke stared at Leia, his mind struggling to process the information it had just received. _Wait, what? She_ doesn't _know who Vice Admiral Holdo is?_

"Which Vice Admiral?" Leia repeated, anxiety beginning to form in her voice. "Luke? Which Vice Admiral?"

"You-you didn't know?"

A faint line appeared between Leia's eyebrows, her gaze mixed with worry and confusion. "I don't remember any Vice Admiral."

"As far as I can figure, she's been running the Resistance ever since your accident," Han said, looking fairly perplexed himself.

"Holdo," said Luke. "Do you know that name?"

Leia nodded slightly. "Yes, but she was a captain, not an Admiral."

Han shrugged. "Well, maybe she just gave herself a promotion or something." Luke gave him a skeptical look, but Han kept talking. "She was probably the only one willing to take up the position or something."

After so many years of working with the Resistance, Luke would have thought than Han would understand how it works by now, but apparently not.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," he finished, looking around with his typical _I dare you to contradict me_ face.

Usually, however, Luke dared to.

Before Luke could say anything, Leia stiffly rose. "Well, whatever the case, she isn't in charge any longer, for good or for worse.

Luke smiled. "I think it's for good."

Han stood up, too. "Ditto on that."

* * *

 _Why haven't they contacted me yet?_

Whatever confidence Poe had previously owned about his mission had totally disappeared in the last half hour or so.

 _What's taking them so long? What if they've been caught? The Vice Admiral is going to find out any minute now!_

 _Breath_ , Poe told himself, trying desperately not to panic. _Breath, focus on breathing._

Part of him thought it was going to be okay, though it was an awfully small one. After all, Rey hadn't told him anything yet, so there would be no trouble from the Vice Admiral any time soon. Still though, something just felt _wrong._

Panting heavily, he anxiously glanced around, hoping that none of the Resistance fighters noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Suddenly, someone tapped him from behind, scaring the daylights out of him.

"Ah!''

"Erm..." The pilot who had nudged him looked slightly confused at first, then decided to ignore it (much to Poe's relief.)

"The Vice Admiral wants you, sir."

"S-she does?" Poe winced at how stupid his response sounded.

"Yes, sir, she said it was urgent."

Poe took a deep breath, finally managing to control his nerves. "Did she say why?"

The pilot shook his head. "No, only to see her as soon as possible."

"Oh-okay. Tell her I'll be right there."

After promising to do so, the pilot walked away, and Poe all but sunk into a nearby chair.

 _I've got a bad feeling about this._

* * *

Vice Admiral Holdo strode through the narrow hall of the Resistance base, frowning at everything she disapproved of, which was practically everything in sight. Moving briskly, she quickly turned the corner, keeping herself out of sight and earshot of the rest of the people.

Sighing, she walked quicker, making a mental note to check on the prisoner later that day.

Smiling to herself, she slunk deeper into the shadows, careful to keep her immaculately-clean dress away from potential dirt hazards.

Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew a small communicator, which she switched on . After receiving a reply from the other end, she sweetly delivered her message.

"Please inform General Hux that the Jedi is here."


	11. Chapter 11

Groaning, Finn slowly came to, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the harsh light of...

 _Wait, where am I?_

"FN-2187. How dare you return?"

 _I know that voice._ Finn slowly lifted his head up, realizing that he was in a seated position, hands cuffed in front of him. "Captain Phasma." Finn struggled to control his breathing, panic flashing throughout his body. "Fancy seeing you here.''

Glancing around, Finn saw that he was in a First Order prison, much like those he was used to from his time as a Stormtrooper. There was no sign of Rose, or of any one besides Phasma, actually.

"FN-2187, I am only going to ask you once." Phasma stepped forward and shifted her blaster to the other hand. "What are you doing here?"

Finn snorted, hoping that he sounded more confident than he felt. "As if I'd actually tell you. Oh, and the name's _Finn._ "

"No." Phasma leaned closer. "No, you are nothing, just like all the rest of the Stormtroopers. You have no family, no name, _nothing_.

 _That's not true!_ Finn almost said the words aloud. _I_ do _have friends! I_ do _have a name! You're wrong!_

Phasma cocked her blaster. "You are nothing."

* * *

Maz sat alone in her cell, meditating with the Force. Stormtroopers had already informed her of what the First Order planned to do with them. Apparently, execution was decided unfavorable, seeing as how the three would make better hostages, or even bait, instead.

As much as Maz hated the idea, she had to agree it was a better one.

Taking a deep breath, she readjusted herself, focusing all her actions on reaching out.

 _Luke. Can you hear me? I need you._

* * *

Moaning, Rey shakily sat up, her head reeling with dizziness.

 _Mmm, where am I?_

Vice Admiral Holdo stepped into the room (if such a small area could be called that) and smiled at Rey. "Already awake, I see."

Rey's mind was spinning, and everything seemed confusing, such as how she got to this tiny room...

...and why was she wearing binders!?"

Rey tried to jump up, but the tight restraints stopped her. She bit back a cry as the metal bit into her skin. Struggling to keep her voice from shaking, she looked up into Holdo's patronizing face. "Wh-where am I?"

Smiling delicately, the Vice Admiral leaned down and tugged at her hair. "What a sweet little one," she chuckled, suddenly looking very, very dangerous. "Almost a pity, really."

Rey swallowed, limbs trembling. "P-pity about... what?"

Holdo laughed, and it sounded as though the wind were shrieking cruelly, "Oh, little one, aren't you precious. Precious-" here she stepped to Rey's left, "-and clueless. So very, very _clueless."_

Mind still feeling scrambled, Rey struggled to remember what had happened. _I was walking down the hall towards the Vice Admiral, sudden pain in my arm, started feeling dizzy, sat down..._

Gasping, Rey finally realized what had happened. "You're evil!"

Holdo gave her wicked little laugh. "Now, dear, don't you think that evil is a _little_ strong? I really prefer to call myself 'morally challenged'.

" _Morally challenged?!_ You're _evil_! You're working with the First Order, you're-"

A rag was suddenly stuffed in to her mouth. "Talkative, aren't you? Unfortunately, I don't like the noisy type."

* * *

Luke lingered behind an X-Wing, suddenly feeling very nervous. Was he really ready to go back to being a Jedi? Was he ready to face Snoke yet? To face _Ben_?

 _Yes_ , he told himself, _yes I'm ready, I'm_ more _than ready._

 _I don't believe a word I'm saying._

Sighing, Han turned around, sensing, even without being a Jedi, that Luke was having what Han called 'Jedi overreaction.' As far as the smuggler could figure, there was absolutely no need to complicate things more than they needed to be.

Apparently, most Jedi seemed to have a different mindset.

"C'mon kid, let's go."

"I-I don't think I'm ready."

Smiling, Han gently tugged at his friend's arm. "I wasn't asking."

Giving a startled yelp, Luke found himself being half-dragged across the floor by a very persistent certain someone. It was very fortunate for that certain someone that Luke considered him a friend.

Once they were in eyeshot of other people Han let go, and Luke almost wished he would put his hand back. Swallowing down his nervousness, Luke scanned the mass of people of one person in particular. Fortunately for him, Leia spotted them first.

She briskly walked over, her General mode on max. Luke marveled at how she could walk around so confidently, pretending that everything was alright.

"I was wondering when you'd come out."

Luke smiled sheepishly. "I'm not used to being around so many people," he excused himself.

"Aw, are we being shy?" teased Han, that familiar spark in his eye.

Before they could converse any further, a pilot suddenly crashed into the room. "General! The First Order-they're here!"

Leia immediately snapped to attention. "Inform Captain Dameron to ready his squad. As for everyone else, tell them to prepare to evacuate."

"Yes, General." The pilot scurried away.

The nervousness that had finally left Luke alone instantly came back. _Suppose Be-Kylo Ren is with them?_ Looking up, he could tell that Han and Leia were thinking the exact same thing.

"Erm... " Luke groped for the right words. "Don't you think that we ought to evacuate, too?"

Leia took a deep breath. "Yes, but first I need to go discuss things with a certain Vice Admiral of mine."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N -** Jar Jar Binks may or may not appear in this chapter. **You have been warned.**

Also, please don't forget to review, it makes me happy. Constructive criticism more than welcome.

* * *

Luke Skywalker had never felt so helpless.

No, scratch that, there had been _plenty_ of times he had felt helpless. On the Second Death Star, Hoth, When Ben destroyed his Jedi Temple and killed Janie...

Ben...

Which reminded him...

"How far is the First Order?"

Han glanced up from the controls, doing his best to look indifferent. "Oh... maybe about three miles off? At least ten minutes 'till they get here."

Luke shakily nodded, wishing that Artoo would stop randomly bumping into the wall every five minutes.

Make that every thirty seconds.

"Artoo, would you knock it off?"

The pesky little blue droid looked up and transmitted a series of beeps and chirps, most of which sounded extraordinarily rude. A rough translation, minus the cusses, could be 'I am my own droid and I do what I want, so deal with it.'

Luke decided not to encourage him.

"So...are you comin' with me on the Falcon?"

Luke took a deep breath of air, searching for the right answer. "That...depends." Han gave him a knowing look and slightly nodded. "Okay, if-if that's what you want."

"It is."

Stepping outside, Luke could see the First Order, just a hazy smudge against the icy horizon. Soon, however, they would be much closer than anyone would have liked.

A large part of Luke blamed himself for what happened. It was his fault that Ben, an innocent boy, turned into Kylo Ren, It was his fault that the First Order managed to rise. It was his fault that his family was broken apart. It was his fault that Janie died, that all those younglings were killed. It was _all his fault!_

"You alright there, kid?"

Gasping, Luke looked down, not realizing that his hands were pressing into his arms, fingernails digging into skin. "Yeah, just...thinking."

Han sighed, a low, sad, lonely sound. Aren't we all."

* * *

Kylo Ren strode briskly through the halls of the Finalizer, feeling awkward without his mask. True, the Supreme Ruler had deemed it ridiculous and unnecessary, but he liked it because he could hide behind it, and think himself to be like Vader. Just as strong, just as terrifying...

...just as weak.

His uncle - no, _Luke Skywalker_ had talked to him about Vader, how his grandfather had been an extremely conflicted person, but had made the right choices in the end.

Ben, however, always chose to ignore the last few moments of his grandfather's life. Instead, he idolized everything else about him, from his deep, menacing voice to his distilling of fear to his black armor, hence the mask.

Black masks were not for the weak. The Supreme Leader was wrong.

Striding up to the pilot, he tried to make his voice sound deep and menacing, like Vader's. "How long until we reach the base?"

The pilot hesitated a moment before answering. "According to our latest intelligence, the base should be about four quadrants away."

Kylo nodded sharply, and the pilot cowered back a bit.

 _Good_ , he thought to himself, _they're afraid of me._

 _So why doesn't it feel good?_

Knowing that the Leader would not approve, he shook off his negative thoughts, focusing on the dark. Unfortunately, he was having more trouble with that by day since Starkiller Base.

 _If fear is the path to the Dark Side, then why does the Supreme Leader say fear is only for the weak?_

"...sir?"

Kylo Ren bolted to attention. " _What?_ " he snapped, foul mood increasing by the second. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

The Stormtrooper that had disturbed him was now trembling incessantly. "Th-the Supreme Leader would like to speak to you, sir."

Ren nodded. "Patch me through."

"Y-yes, sir. Right away."

Taking a deep breath, Kylo turned the corner and almost sank to the ground in despair.

 _They're on this planet._

* * *

Poe took a deep breath, doing his best not to completely freak out.

Considering the current circumstances, however, freaking out would have been perfectly acceptable.

Poe had been on his way to talk to Vice Admiral Holdo when an alarm had sounded, informing all present that the First Order was approaching.

 _Well, they sure found us fast,_ Poe thought to himself as he hastened through the crowd, looking for Rey. As important as escaping was, his friends came first.

"Commander Dameron!"

Poe wheeled around and saw that Holdo was waving him down. "Commander Dameron, what do you think you are doing?"

"Eh...going to my ship?"

Holdo gazed at him skeptically. "You're ship is with the medical supplies?"

"I-I was looking for Rey," he blurted out, then immediately wanted to face palm himself. _Why did I have to tell her that?_

"Well, I can assure you that your friend in quite safe. Now, please head to your transport and prepare for evacuation."

 _Something's not right..._

"Of course, Vice Admiral."

Only when she was walking away did Poe realize he had forgotten to ask her what she had wanted to ask him about.

* * *

"You summoned me, leader?"

Kylo Ren knelt before the hologram of Supreme Leader Snoke, fighting to keep his voice from shaking. He had no doubt that Snoke could tell how weak he was.

Snoke leaned forward in his chair, thinking carefully before speaking.

"It has now been five days since your failure on Starkiller."

Kylo could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise, eyes widening in fear. Snoke was never hesitant to deliver punishment, especially when the failures were as big as his.

"Five days since you failed to capture that untrained scavenger _scum._ "

"She was strong with the Forc-"

"LIAR!" Snoke's voice echoed through the room, banging off of the walls. '' _Your_ failure is _inexcusable_ , and will _not_ be hidden by some _petty excuses_! I will _not_ tolerate this sort of behavior on the future, and I do _not_ want you to blame _your_ actions on _anyone_ else!"

Kylo struggled not to make a sound, trembling beneath his robes. He was already in a kneeling position on the floor, but he wished he could sink down even deeper. Snoke's anger was never to be taken lightly, as he had learned very quickly.

"I will, however, give you a chance to redeem yourself."

Kylo gasped, glancing up quickly.

 _He's going to give me another chance?_

"As I'm sure you are well aware, General Organa, General Solo, and Master Skywalker are on this very planet. Bring at least one of them to me, and you will be pardoned."

Just as Kylo was beginning to feel relieved, Snoke's voice broke into the air again. "Do not, however, think that this failure will go unexcused"

Kylo, felt his blood turn to ice, his heart slither down to the soles of his feet.

"Y-yes, Leader," he whimpered, barely able to get the words out. "I-" he swallowed "-I will not fail you."

 _I can't do that. I couldn't bring myself to kill fathe-Han Solo on Starkiller, I know that I can't do it now, to any of them._

 _No, I will do it. I am Kylo Ren, apprentice to Snoke, leader if the Knights of Ren, master of darkness. I can do this._

 _No, I can't_

Snoke smiled maliciously. "No, you won't. Now leave me."

After a hasty and deep bow, Kylo Ren forces himself to run, not walk, out of the room.

Snoke sighed deeply, thoroughly enjoying pulling the strings on his favorite puppet.

 _Soon_ , he told himself, _the time is coming soon._

Aloud he said, "It is time, my servant, to finally show yourself to the galaxy."

A tall, hooded figure emerged from the shadows.

"Meesa bein' ready to be servin' yousa, master."


	13. Chapter 13

Maz sighed, realizing that reaching out to Luke was useless. As much as she tried, he remained unresponsive. _He must have shut himself out from the Force._

Maz had heard some guards talking outside of her cell, discussing the attack to the Resistance on Crait, and a rumor about the Jedi being there. She wondered if Luke had come back to finally help or to look for his daughter.

Considering all that she knew about Luke, she decided for the latter.

Sitting up, Maz tried to reach out through the Force again, not to find Luke, but to see what would happen. As a gray Force user, she didn't have the Dark Side cloud things quite so much.

 _Rose was alone in her cell, listening to the guards discussing a rumor about Luke Skywalker being back._

 _Finn was alone in his cell, asleep._

 _Kylo Ren was striding through the halls of the Finalizer, giving an outwardly appearance of strength, but Maz could sense how weak he really felt. To him, there was only one choice, one way - kill Skywalker or die. Little did he know the road is always two-way._

 _Luke Skywalker was on Crait, keeping himself blocked from the Force, but even without it he could sense, like everyone else, the black, looming darkness that threatened to swallow them whole, enveloping all in its dark shroud._

 _Han Solo was on his ship, busily preparing it for flight. He has no intention of confronting Kylo, but running away didn't feel quite right, either._

 _Leia Organa was on a command ship, unsuccessful in finding Vice Admiral Holdo. Little did they all know..._

 _Rey was with Holdo on a small ship, tied to a chair, on their way to the First Order._

 _Snoke has a plan, formulated since long before the Clone Wars, and its time was fast approaching._

 _Snoke's apprentice, Darth Binks, was by his master's side, patiently awaiting his moment ever since that fateful day on Naboo, where he had made his first steps in infiltrating the Jedi._

Maz's eyes sprang open, and she sighed. Like Luke, she was well aware of what was approaching, but unlike him, she chose to accept it, chose not to deny the inevitable.

 _It is coming..._

* * *

Kylo Ren stepped off of his ship and onto the white, glistening ground.

 _I can do this. I can do this I can do this. I can do this._

 _I can't do this._

Gripping his lightsaber tighter than strictly necessary he stalked across the bright, sparkling landscape, out of eyeshot of the Resistance but still close enough. Besides, the Supreme Leader had no care of what became of the Resistance - they had no place in his plan.

Growling to himself (yes, growling) Kylo stepped behind some smooth, gray boulders, concealing himself until the time came.

Or because he wasn't strong enough. Honestly, Kylo couldn't tell which it was.

Wondering if uncl- _Skywalker_ would come looking for him first, he knelt and set his lightsaber down. Personally, he would much prefer it if the Jedi came to him first.

With nothing much to do, Kylo sat...

and thought...

and waited.

 _I'm not strong enough._

* * *

Luke took a deep breath.

All of the Resistance except him had already boarded their ships and were evacuating the planet, heading for the forest world of Saltu. Except for Holdo, who had yet to be found, and Rey. Luke, of course, knew where they were, but he was the only one.

It had been mere moments since he had reconnected himself with the Force, and yet he could already feel its power connecting him with everyone else, could feel it showing and hiding, concealing and revealing.

It showed him Kylo Ren, and it showed him Ben Solo. Two different people residing in the same body. Two different spirits, two different minds, and one Force.

Kylo Ren was hiding behind some rocks waiting for him. Ben Solo was not.

Luke smiled ruefully to himself, at last feeling the future the Force had set out for him. For all of them. And the first step would be to save Ben Solo.

Luke took a step.

* * *

Han sighed, the awkward silence surrounding him so thick he almost wished the golden droid would start talking.

Almost, but not quite.

Leia had declined the ride on the Falcon, pointing out that it would be better if she stayed with the rest of the Resistance crew, including Lando and Ackbar. The two commanders had survived the attack on the Resistance ship because it had been decided that having all leaders it the same place at the same time was just too risky and stupid.

It had been pretty funny, hearing someone like Leia saying 'stupid' in such a way.

Laughing about it afterwards had definitely not been a good idea, though.

Chewie roared something from the copilot's seat along the lines of 'Are you planning on leaving anytime soon?' Han grunted in agreement and started to prep the ship. As he did, flashbacks suddenly began to assault him, mercilessly giving him an unwanted reminder of the life he once had; free, wild, smuggler...

..alone.

Han struggled to keep the memories out and to focus on the task at hand, but the Force had other ideas.

 _He was sitting in the Falcon, watching as Old Ben Kenobi trained the Tatooine kid, explaining to him what the Force was. Han laughed, saying that it was just a bunch of magical nonsense, that no made-up 'force' controlled his life._

Chewie growled something impatiently, but Han was unable to free himself from his playback state.

 _Now he was at Bespin in front of Vader, having just been betrayed by his 'friend' Lando._

 _Now he was in Jabba's palace, frozen in carbonite._

 _He was on the sail barge with Luke, not able to see because of the carbonite-sickness._

Han shook his head, but the memories kept on coming.

 _Endor, and Leia was smiling at him, saying how she and Luke were actually related. A thrill of joy went through him, and suddenly it felt as though everything would be perfect._

 _Just outside the Ewok village, and Luke is shakily recounting his experience on the Death Star._

 _Stop it,_ Han told himself.

 _Naboo, and he is in a lake house, gazing at his beautiful bride, Luke by his side, his best man._

 _Naboo again, and Han was in a hospital room with Leia and Luke, gazing down at his tiny newborn son._

 _Crait, and he is raising a family, three-year-old Ben following him everywhere._

 _Takodana, where Luke is starting his Jedi temple, bringing a ten-year-old Ben to be trained._

 _At Luke's wedding on Naboo, standing by his brother's side with Leia._

Chewie roared something again, this time considerably louder.

 _On the Falcon with Leia and Luke, Luke telling them what Ben did. Han shouted something at Luke, threw something, everything went red..._

 _...Leia was screaming, Luke was gone._

 _On Ahch-To, trying to get Luke to come back, both of them pretending that night on the Falcon never happened._

 _Crait again, and his family needed him._

Han gasped, finally his own man again, ears filled with Chewie screaming at him in high-pitched Wookie tones. "Y-yeah, I'm alright, buddy." Nothing, however, could be farther from the truth. Han felt more shaken than he ever had his entire life, both physically and mentally.

Realizing what he had to do, Han reached out for the controls and turned his ship around. "We're going back."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N -** Okay, quick note - I know that in The Force Awakens Kylo Ren took his helmet/mask thing off in front of Rey, but for the sake of my story I am going to pretend that never happened, much like I am ignoring a lot of what happened in The Last Jedi. Also, sorry 'bout the late update, this chapter was a little harder to write.

* * *

"Ben."

Kylo (or was in Ben?) kept his gaze trained on the ground, afraid to look his uncle in the eyes. _After all this time, all these years, everything I did, will he ever forgive me?_

"Ben, look at me."

Kylo slowly raised his gaze to look up at the front of Luke's cloak, no further. He was already in a kneeling position behind some rocks, well shielded from the wind and watchful eyes, but he felt as though every gaze in the galaxy, every user in the Force, both alive and dead, was focusing on him.

"Hello, uncle." Without meaning to, the words came out before he could help them. The voice hardly sounded as though it could be his, but it had to be. _Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me. Please don't kill_ _me._

"I'm not going to hurt you. Yet.''

Kylo gulped, suddenly feeling very, very nervous. Ben hesitated, unsure if he should talk or wait for his uncle to speak first. Suddenly, he was reminded of that Resistance pilot on Jakku - _You talk first, I talk first?_ \- but Kylo struggled to push the memory away.

Ben Solo did not.

"Have you come to surrender?"

Kylo licked his lips, unsure of how to respond. The wind was whistling through the rocks and giving everything a cold, breezy feel, but he felt as though he were melting from heat, both inside and out.

"Ben?" Luke crouched down and matched his nephew's eye level, though not meeting his gaze. Kylo noticed how he had one hand on his lightsaber. "Did you come to surrender?"

"I-I..."

Luke exhaled and brought a hand to his nephew's chin, forcing the younger man to look him squarely in the eyes. Kylo flinched, but after a brief moment of fear/hesitation met the Jedi's gaze. His uncle's eyes were considerably more haunted and weathered than he had seen them last, but they retained that vivid, lively blue spark, a sight that both comforted and terrified him at the same time.

"Ben, I need an answer."

Ben took a deep, shuddering breath, doing his best to keep his dignity, but the look of warmth in is uncle's eyes got through to him and he began to break down.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I know what I did was terrible and I'm sorry and I know that I don't deserve anything better than death and I don't deserve to be forgiven and I'm horrible and a monster a-and-"

"Shh." Luke gently pressed a finger to Ben's lips, surprised by the sudden outburst. Not that it wasn't welcome. "I know, I know, it's okay."

Turning back to the Light had been big for Ben, but now hearing his uncle saying that he forgave him was just way too much. Ignoring the little voice in his head saying that he was twenty-two and too old for this, his collapsed into his uncle's arms, sobbing.

"I'm so, so, so sorry!"

"I know, it's okay."

Ben struggled to keep his voice from shaking, but his body was evidently performing its own rebellion. "Forgive me. Please, please, please forgive me!"

Luke hesitated a moment, grasping Ben tightly in his arms. _Can I really forgive him?_ The thought was little more that just that - a thought. Even after everything he did (destroying the Jedi Academy, helping to kill his wife, stealing his daughter) Luke had never really hated Ben, not truly. True, he despised Kylo Ren, the terrible black monster that had consumed his nephew, but his feeling for him were the same as the ones for Vader - _forgive and forget_.

"U-uncle?" With a start Luke woke up from his daydreaming, not realizing how much time had passed during his musings. "D-do you..."

Luke sighed and hugged his nephew even tighter (if that was possible). "Yes-yes Ben, I forgive you." _Forgive and forget._

Yes, he could forgive Ben Solo. After all, hadn't he forgiven Vader? And wasn't Vader much, much worse that Kylo had ever been? Luke smiled inwardly to himself, pleased with being able to finally refer to Kylo Ren in the past tense. _Now and forever._

Ben was still in his arms, still shuddering but no longer sobbing. After what seemed like hours and mere moments he finally broke away, though Luke kept his hands on the younger man's shoulders.

Ben finally summed up the courage to look his uncle in the eyes. "I want to be free of this pain. Will you help me?"

"Yes, anything."

Ben slowly unclipped his lightsaber from his belt and held the weapon out in front of him. After a brief moment of hesitation, Luke tightly grasped the other end.

"Thank you."

* * *

Poe was in his X-Wing, already airborne but not yet clear of the atmosphere. Glancing down, he could see the First Order, tiny black specks against the snow-white landscape.

 _That was a close one._

As good as the Resistance escaping from the First Order was, he couldn't shake the terrible feeling of dread forming dangerously fast in the pit of his stomach. _Where are Finn and Rose, and Maz, and Rey?_

 _Stop it_ , Poe told himself, _stop and focuse on the task at hand. Worry about them later._

The sneaking voice in the back of his mind, however, wouldn't shut up as easily.

 _They're still tracking us through hyperspace._

Inwardly, Poe wasn't as worried as before because Luke Skywalker (as in Luke Skywalker!) had come back, and now that they had a Jedi on their side they were sure to win, right?

Right?

Poe suddenly began to feel very, very worried.

* * *

Han zoomed over the planet's icy ground, deftly ignoring Chewie's questioning growls of complaint. He couldn't quite explain it, but he had a very strong urge to go back for something...

...or _someone_.

Whether this was the Force or just pure survival instincts he couldn't tell, but it certainly wasn't the first time this had happened. Though it never came too often, he was glad it didn't bother him all the time, this urge to be somewhere else. _I'm sure glad that I'm not a Jedi!_

Scanning the bright landscape, he noticed two figures huddled together next to a rock. His heart leapt up to his throat, and for a split second he couldn't breath. _Could that be..._

Faster than he had ever done (and a lot more dangerous) Han landed the ship and all but sprang out of it. Both figures were already standing, one of whom had red, watery eyes. Han strode up to them, heart beating wildly in his chest.

 _This has to be some sort of trick..._

"Ben?"

The black-haired man looked up and tried for a smile, albeit a pitiful one. ''H-hi dad."

"BEN!"

Han grasped his son tightly and held him for all he was worth. Ben was stock-still for a moment, then returned his father's hug just as tightly. "I-I'm sorry.'' Han just nodded, the realization just hitting him. Any more, and he was sure he'd break down.

Luke stood to the side, genuinely smiling for the first time in a while. For once, everything in the universe made sense and was okay.

Han glanced over at his friend and grinned, hardly believing that Luke had brought his son back. It was almost too good to be true.

Almost, but not quite.

Still smiling, Han grabbed his friend and pulled him into his embrace, feeling whole again. After several long minutes Han finally let go, holding his teary-eyed son at arm's length. "Well, you've grown up." Ben nodded, still sniffling. "I'm really sorry."

Han closed his eyes, allowing memories to flood his mind. Everything than Kylo Ren had ever done suddenly felt unimportant, meaningless, meant to be forgotten. All that mattered now was that his son was home. His son...

...and Leia's.

Looking at Luke, Han could swear his friend could tell what he was thinking. Luke was good at that, sensing other people's emotions.

Smiling wider than he ever had before, Han clasped both men on the shoulder, wearing his trademark roguish grin. "Let's go home."

* * *

 **A/N -** Please review, it makes me happy.


	15. Chapter 15

Holdo exited her ship, holding herself in such a way that suggested she thought more of herself than was socially agreeable. Behind her was a girl, about nineteen years of age, being dragged forward by several First Order guards.

Stepping of the ramp, she paused a moment to take in the harshly bright lights of the bustling landing bay. Directly in front of her, standing about five yards away, stood General Armitage Hux of the First Order.

Her brother.

Holdo strode forward, guards and girl trailing behind her. The latter was making enough noise for a whole fleet of Resistance troopers. Ignoring her protests, Hux strode forward and positioned himself in front of Holdo. "I trust your mission was successful?"

Holdo smiled in her infamous, patronizing way. "Yes, quite."

Hux broke into a wide grin and gestured with his hand behind him to the rows and rows of Stormtroopers, all especially trained, the best of the best. "The Supreme Leader wishes to speak with you about the information you have acquired."

At the mention of Snoke Holdo slightly stiffened, but quickly regained her composure. "Yes, of course."

Hearing a loud _bang_ behind her, the two siblings spun around to see the girl, Rey, scavenger form Jakku, pinned to the floor by several white-clad guards. At the sight, Holdo couldn't resist a small chuckle. "She's fidgety, that one. Won't shut up easily, either."

Hux grinned widely, the cruelty in his gaze only increasing. "Oh, I'm sure she'll be fine." He squatted down and roughly shoved his hand under Rey's chin, earning himself a cold glare. "Won't you, dear?"

* * *

Luke sat by Ben at the dejarik table on the Falcon, silently listening to the _hum hum hum_ of the engines. Ben had his eyes shut, hands tightly gripping each other in his lap, and teeth clenched together. Luke glanced over at him for a moment, smiling softly to himself. Gently he placed his real hand on his nephew's arm, and immediately the younger man's brown eyes flashed open.

Looking over nervously, Ben met his uncle's soothing ice-blue gaze and relaxed. Luke nodded gently, realizing that his nephew's anxiety was due to seeing his mother again after so many years.

 _It'll be alright._

Luke sent the Force-message to his nephew, and the immediately younger man relaxed. Luke couldn't help but feel slightly worried at that. Han's reassurances to his son before going to help Chewie fly the ship hadn't procured such a reaction of relief. As touching as it was that his nephew trusted him so much, shouldn't his parents be doing that for him?

Shaking off his musings, Luke glanced up to see Han entering the area, looking considerably happier than he had a few days ago. "Well, we should be docking with the Resistance cruiser soon."

Ben stiffly nodded, his eyes regaining their look of fear. Han frowned slightly and went to sit by his son. "Hey, you okay, kid?"

"Y-yeah."

Han looped an arm around the boy, concern flashing in his gaze. Luke decided not to intervene. "What's wrong?"

Ben opened his mouth, but no words came out. Swallowing, he tried again. "It's just that, a-after everything that happened, will mom forgive me?"

Han smiled, but for his son's sake struggled to keep a serious air. "Well, I know that your mom missed you a ton every day, and she asked me to try and bring you back. Of course she'll want you home, kid. We all do."

Luke nodded gently. "Your father's right, Ben. As rare as that is." Han pretended to look offended, and Luke laughed inwardly to himself, unable to hold back that last line.

Ben sighed deeply, and Luke noticed that some of his anxiousness had worn off. "Okay."

* * *

General Organa stood by the docking bay, scanning the black of space for the 'hunk-of-junk'. Han had said they would be arriving soon, yet even if they came now it wouldn't be soon enough.

Glancing around, she tried to distract herself by studying the various ships and droids littering the area, making the light shine all over as it bounced on shiny metal. Pilots and admirals rushed everywhere, all trying to be somewhere else. Which reminded her...

...where was Holdo?

Leia had some good suspicions about what had happened to her Vice Admiral, as well as evidence, but real proof had yet to be found. There were records of Holdo's private ship having an unscheduled launch shortly before the evacuation. This, and the fact that Leia had no memory of the woman, was more than enough for her.

A loud, unmistakable _whoosh_ succeeded in grabbing her attention. Looking up, she saw the Falcon slowly (which to Han meant anything below lightspeed) make its way into the hanger. Stepping back, she felt her heart beat so fast that she thought if it went any faster she would start to fly.

Almost in dream-like quality she saw Luke step off the ship, a wide smile plastered on his face. In a haze, she saw him move slowly towards her and lightly grasp her hands.

"I've brought you something."

And just like that, time stopped for General Leia Organa of the Resistance.

* * *

Darth Binks stood quietly beside his master, silently thinking of all that had come to place. True, Kylo's turning back to the Light had come sooner that intended, but the Supreme Leader had room for such allowances.

Now he was looking up, watching as two Praetorian guards dragged in a brown-haired girl, no older than twenty. His indifferent air came naturally, and he only felt a mild curiosity for what would come next.

The ground was dark, covered in a thick carpet, and the walls were white with some black here and there. The whole atmosphere of the place was intended to intimidate all those who entered, and at that it succeeded greatly.

"Ah, the scavenger."

Darth Binks snapped to attention as Snoke's gravely, coarse voice resonated into the air. _Nowsa comes the fun partsa._

"Supreme Leader Snoke."

The girl had courage, and Binks had to give her that, yet the tremor in her voice and quaking legs were easily seen. Again her voice rang out. "You should know that I'm not afraid of you."

Snoke laughed, an eerie, bone-chilling sound. "Oh, you stupid, naïve little thing."

Rey pursed her lips but said nothing.

Snoke contented himself with silence for a few long moments and then continued to speak, loosely gripping the arms of his throne. "I suppose you know why you're here."

The girl struggled slightly against her guards, who only gripped her tighter. Clenching her teeth tightly, she responded, "You want to turn me to the Dark Side."

Snoke gave her an offended, affronted look. "Now, why would you ever think that?'' His voice dropped lower, and almost sounded sweet. "I only want to help you."

"You can help me by letting me go."

Snoke chuckled and lifted himself out of his throne. Darth Binks continued to observe the scene with the same air of indifference. "Aren't you clueless. So much like your father was."

Rey gave a slight gasp. _He knew my father?_

"Oh yes, quite well, actually."

Startled, Rey glanced up, then quickly looked down again, the Supreme Leader's face being gruesome beyond words.

Snoke took a step towards her. "I assume from your reaction that you do not know him?"

"Shut up," Rey growled, much to the Supreme Leader's amusement.

In reality, Snoke had no idea whether Luke was alive or not, but this girl would surely have the answer. Besides, he wanted to have the pleasure of telling her the truth.

"Skywalker hasn't yet told you, then?"

Rey's breathing tensed, and her throat felt strangely tight. "What are you talking about?"

Snoke gently reached out a hand and cupped her chin, much to Rey's disgust. He looked squarely into her eyes. "Has Skywalker told you anything?"

Her face contorted, and Snoke saw something flash in her eyes. _So she has seen him._ He gave her a smile, which coming from him looked rather frightening. "Thank you, little one. That is all I require."

Snoke jerked his head at the guards, and immediately they grabbed her forcefully and proceeded to drag her out of the room. Later he would tell her the rest. As she left, Snoke turned towards Darth Binks and gave him a hideous smile. "The child of Vader lives." His voice dropped to a sinister whisper. " _Find him._ "

* * *

 **A/N -** Please don't forget to review, and constructive criticism more than welcome.


	16. Chapter 16

Lando gazed out of the tiny window in the Resistance cruiser feeling bored. Bored as a wild bantha, to be exact, lost in thought. Currently he was thinking about his late wife, Lorea, and their little son Jossen. About six-and-a-half years ago they had both died, Jossen being no older than six, and he dearly missed both.

Sighing, he peeled his gaze away from the window and scanned the bustling area for no one in particular. About six years ago Han had lost his son, too, and he hadn't seen much of his friend ever since. Ben had been much older than Jossen, but he knew Han would have felt the loss just as greatly.

Shaking his head to clear it, Lando jumped off his perch, age-worn muscles screaming in protest, and began to head for the docking bay where he knew Leia was. As much as he tried to distract himself, his mind kept wandering to Lorea and Jossen, and how much he wished they were here with him now. _Oh well_ , he told himself, _no use hoping for the impossible._

Walking along the halls of the cruiser, Lando noted how the walls looked unnaturally white, everything shining off of their immaculate surface. How they could possibly keep it that way was far beyond him.

Down to the left stood General Organa, as well as Luke, Han, and...

... _Ben?!_

 _They told me Ben was dead!_

Hardly able to contain his bewilderment, Lando all but ran up to the group, unintentionally making the four of them jump. "Is that Ben?"

Luke's collar suddenly seemed to worry him. Han gave a nervous grin, and Lando knew his friend well enough that he was trying to come up with an excuse, and _fast._ "See, we ah..."

Leia stepped in. "Ben was spying on the First Order for us as a double agent."

Lando nodded slowly, wondering if this was a half-truth or just a complete lie.

Judging by how well he knew them, it was probably the latter.

Luke spoke up, nervousness apparently having been forgotten. "Ben just came back from an assignment... _and_ he killed Kylo Ren."

Lando wasn't usually one for anxiety attacks, but the evidently the Force had other plans.

"He was a-he killed-he really...Ben didn't die?"

Han stiffly nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

While the 'older folk' (don't tell Han I said that) were talking, Ben had been nervously sulking in the background, trying to avoid unwanted attention. Unfortunately, being a Skywalker and a Solo, attention was something that was always going to come, wanted or otherwise.

"Why didn't you tell me he was alive?" Now that the initial shock was beginning to fade Lando began to feel betrayed. _Why didn't they tell me? Don't they trust me?_

Luke nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "We-ell, see, we had to keep it a secret and, uh...it wouldn't have been much of a secret if you knew and, uh...yeah." All four of them winced at how lame his response sounded.

Lando slowly nodded, the pieces beginning to fit themselves together. "So...okay, then. Yeah, I get it."

Han gave his trademark scoundrel grin, clasping Lando on the shoulder. "Appreciate it, you understanding."

"Uh-huh."

"So..." Lando looked over Han's shoulder to where Ben was standing. "How you been?"

Ben gave a weak chuckle. "P-pretty good. You?"

Lando swallowed back some newfound resentment. _How come their son gets to live and not mine?_ "I've been just fine, kid."

Ben smiled slightly. "Glad to hear it."

Walking away, Lando tried to banish the dark thoughts form his mind, but they wouldn't stop scratching at the door. _It wasn't their fault._

 _But it's not fair._

 _No. Not their fault._

 _Not fair..._

* * *

Groaning, Finn sat upright in his cell, trying to find a way to pass the time.

 _There. The wall. The wall is very interesting. Yeah, I like walls._

 _I'm bored._

One would think that, upon being captured, one's priorities would be far from entertainment (or lack thereof), but not in Finn's case.

 _Yep_ , he told himself, _Nothing to do in here. Just bored, bored bored bored..._

 _I'm as bored as a wild bantha._

 _WHOA. Where did_ that _come from?_

Ever since helping to rescue Poe he had been thinking a lot about his past, but nothing had come up as big as, well...

...a wild bantha.

 _What is a bantha, anyways? And how do I know that?_

Shaking his head, Finn told himself that he must have heard some Resistance pilot saying it, but inwardly he thought otherwise. _Could it be...?_

 _No. I never knew my parents._

 _Did I?_

* * *

"UGH!"

Rey gasped as the guards tossed her into a dark cell, heart still pounding wildly from that encounter with Snoke. She couldn't tell what was more terrifying, having met the Supreme Leader or having survived the experience.

 _I'd rather have gone through neither._

CLANK!

Rey jumped as the heavy metal door slammed shut behind her, plunging the whole, damp, stinking area into darkness. _O-okay..._

"Rey?"

Rey gasped, feeling certain that if she didn't have a heart attack before, now she certainly did. "W-who is it?"

A figure moved forward slightly before answering. "It's me, Finn."

A voice piped up behind him. "And Maz!''

Rey breathed out a sigh of relief, feeling unable to express how grateful she was that it was them. Her relaxation, however, was short-lived.

"Rey, how are you here?"

She took a deep breath, then filled the two in with what had transpired, from purple-haired-traitor-freak to Snoke to the cell. "I-I think that's all. What about you?"

Finn just shrugged, deciding to tell her about banthas later. "We got captured trying to find the tracker, and the guards put me in here literally thirty seconds before you came."

In the dim light Rey could just see Maz close her eyes and let out a deep sigh. "The path we now stand upon must be tread with extreme caution."

Before either Finn or Rey could ask what she meant the guards began to speak outside the cell. Maz motioned for silence.

"You hear about the new orders?"

"Actually, I haven't"

"Come from Snoke himself. Apparently, we're supposed to find some 'child of Vader'."

"Whoa. Vader had kids?"

"I've never heard of it, either, but I don't fancy questioning the Supreme Leader!"

Before bucket-head number two could respond a new, louder, harsher voice broke out. "Stop your chit-chat and get back to work!"

"Y-yes sir, terribly sorry."

"Don't let this happen again."

With a snort and clanging of boots on metal Captain Whoever marched away. The two guards didn't let out another peep.

Rey turned to her friends, blood running cold. "Child of Vader?"

Maz just stared at her, while Finn looked as though he were about to explode. "Vader had _kids_?! That horrible metal _thing_ had _kids?!_ "

Rey took in a shaky breath, nerves going wild. "There could be another Sith we don't know about!"

Finn nodded sharply. "We gotta get out of here and warn the Resistance right away. Maz?"

The little Force-user looked up amusingly at him. "I think I have an idea for escape."

* * *

 **A/N -** I would like to give credit to Autohumans for giving me the idea of making Finn Lando's son.


	17. Chapter 17

"DUCK!"

Luke and Leia dove for cover under the lush undergrowth as Han issued (or rather, yelped) the warning. The planet the Resistance base was on now had thick, jungle-like forests and an abundance of vegetation, which could serve many purposes.

After several long seconds, Luke poked his head out from behind the bush, suspicion growing by the minute. Sure enough, there stood Han, a wide grin on his face. Disgusted, Luke carefully clambered over the leafy shrubs, Leia just behind him. "That wasn't funny."

"No, really, look!"

Luke turned towards where Han was pointing, and there stood a bright yellow... _duck_.

Leia sighed and shook her head, pretending to be annoyed, but a small smile played on her lips. "You can be so immature sometimes, Han."

"Hey, it's me!"

Luke chuckled. "C'mon, let's go. Ben will be wondering what happened to us."

The three of them began to trek back up to the base, Leia picking leaves out of her hair. Luke had some clinging to him, too, but he didn't care. Leia would just force him to pick them out later - _You are a Jedi and a commander, you can't go around looking like that!_

Luke inhaled deeply, flowery smells drifting through the moist air. Earlier Leia had filled him and Han on Vice Admiral Whatever-Her-Name-Was. Apparently she was a spy who _conveniently_ joined the Rebellion shortly after Leia was injured.

Leia had also told them about Finn, Maz, Rose, and Rey, and how the First Order wanted to hand them over for...him. So, naturally, the Resistance was going to do the exact opposite.

Hearing the name Rey had given Luke memories of his family, Janie and Raiah. A part of him was desperate to believe that she could be her, but the other, more pessimistic, one was determined to crush that hope.

"Hey kid, quit daydreaming."

Luke blinked, surprised to see that they were already at the base. In front of him stood Ben, smiling sheepishly. "Admiral Ackbar was looking for you, mom."

Leia sighed, then put on her General Face, which Luke and Han commonly referred to as her Get-The-Hell-Out-Of-My-Way-Face.

It really worked.

"Alright, I guess I'd better be off."

Leia took a moment to get the remaining leaf scraps out of her hair, and then walked off. Ben looked to Han. "Lando said something about you promising to play sabaac with him."

Han grimaced. "Nearly forgot about that." Han rushed off, and then there were two.

Ben looked up, a mixture of emotions flashing in his eyes. "Are you busy?"

Luke smiled gently, resting a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "What did you have in mind?"

Ben's face blossomed into a wide grin. "I was sort of hoping that we could work on meditation or something."

Luke slowly nodded, already knowing that meditation was just an excuse for his nephew's longing to spend time with him. "Sure we can."

As they walked down the base's white halls together Luke heard a shout coming from behind them. "Hey, Ben!" They spun around to see Poe jogging towards them, blaster in hand. Breathless, he came to a stop in front of them. "Ackbar says we have enough information to launch a rescue!"

Before turning to the Dark Ben had been good friends with Poe, and the pilot had been thrilled to hear that the former was still alive after all this time. "Isn't it great?"

Ben nodded sharply, doing his best to be enthusiastic for Poe's sake. "Yeah, that's awesome!"

Luke stepped in. "Did Ackbar say anything else?"

Poe jumped slightly, having forgotten that Luke was even there. "Y-yeah, he said that he would like to speak with you Commander Skywalker, sir."

Luke chuckled. "I thought I said you could call me Luke?"

Poe stuttered. "Uh, yeah-uh, must've forgotten."

Ben rolled his eyes, unable to understand how the other fighters could turn into such bantha-brains around his uncle. Sure, he was a Jedi, but so were a lot of people.

Then again, Jedi were rather scarce these days.

"Alright. Ben, okay if we practice later?"

Ben felt his heart drop to the floor, but the pleading look in his uncle's eyes brought it back up. "Yeah, I guess," he mumbled.

Luke nodded and then walked off, leaving the two younger men alone. Ben was saved the ordeal of speaking first. "I really can't believe you were spying on the First Order for us!"

Ben forced himself not to wince, hearing the admiration in his friend's tone. _If you knew the truth you wouldn't be so impressed._ "It was my uncle's idea." At least that part was true; it _had_ been Luke who came up with the idea to pretend he was a double agent.

Poe just nodded. "You must've had some pretty close encounters."

Ben clenched his teeth tightly together, but if Poe noticed he didn't react. Ben took some deep breaths, but the pilot was insisting to continue talking. "Did you ever see-"

"C'mon." Ben broke him off and grabbed his friend's arm, yanking him down the corridors. "Let's go see what Ackbar is doing now."

"But-"

"Let's _go_!"

Poe backed off. "Alright, alright, no need to get to so pushy about it."

Ben inhaled deeply, attempting to calm himself. _If only you knew..._

* * *

Rose, Finn, Rey and Maz sat in their dingy cell, Rose having arrived five minutes prior. At the same time the guard had announced that Snoke would be seeing all of them shortly, which meant the escape plan would have to be rushed.

Rey had already explained to Rose what happened, and she took it surprisingly well, all things considered. Right now they were making last-minute arrangements, but time was running short.

Finn opened his mouth to speak, but at the same moment two Praetorian guards stepped into the cell and grabbed them roughly. Rey tried to scream, but her throat felt too dry to give anything but a small, barely audibly whimper.

Rey's first confrontation with Snoke had been terrifying, and she had been alone.

The second time was even worse, and considerably more crowded.

The four of them were lined up in front of him, and Rey had to force herself to look straight ahead. His looks hadn't improved much, either.

Snoke soundlessly slithered off of his throne and slowly sauntered up to them. Rey felt her blood turn to ice, her heart begin to beat out of control. She made herself breath slowly.

Snoke came up to her first, bringing with him a strange feeling. Rey wasn't sure how to describe it; it didn't match any feelings she ever had before, not even with her last encounter. It was vile, and terrifying, and dark, and... _wrong_. It felt like Kylo Ren probing her mind only a thousand times stronger.

"So, Rey Skywalker, we meet again."

Rey felt time stop altogether. She felt a sudden and tremendous pressure in her head, and the air seemed to become thicker and colder, smothering her. _D-did he just say..._

"Yes, I assure you I did."

Rey felt as though she were going to faint. _No. That's not true. That's impossible!_

 _It's too good to be true._

 _No, he has to be lying._

 _Is he?_

Snoke stood triumphant in front of her, an indescribably cruel smirk plastered onto his face. Beside her were Finn and Rose on each side, faces ashen pale.

Snoke's voice broke the stillness again, and it felt like a knife cutting through the very air. "I take it he never told you?"

Rey tried to move her mouth, but her body wasn't responding. She managed a faint croak.

Snoke laughed eerily. "It appears, among his other numerous mistakes, that Skywalker can also add child neglect to his list."

Rey finally found her voice. "T-that's not t-true." She winced at how terrified she sounded.

Snoke cocked his head. "Oh, really? Where was he when you needed him? Where was he when you were on Jakku, alone and afraid, just a small child? Where was he when Kylo Ren captured you? When was he _ever_ there for you?"

"No," she whispered, refusing to accept what Snoke was telling her. "No, no..."

Snoke extended a grizzled hand and gently cupped her cheek, his voice suddenly becoming sweet as honey. "Join me, Rey. I care about you. _I'll_ never leave you, I'd be there for you. I could give you a home, a family. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

" _No..."_

"I could give it to you, Rey. A home, a family, someone to care for you."

Rey felt her legs quake beneath her, and she struggled to push Snoke's offer away, as tempting as it sounded.

 _No. He just wants to use me._

 _He says he cares._

 _He's just lying._

 _But he's offering me a family._

 _You have a family, with Finn, Poe, and Rose._

 _No..._

Despite the frigid temperature Rey began to sweat, perspiration quickly forming on her brow.

"Well, Rey?" Snoke asked, voice sounding soothing, calming. "Join me?"

Faintly she could hear Finn shouting something in the background, but he sounded oddly faraway.

 _I could give you a home, a family._

"I-I..."

The door crashed open behind her, and Rey jumped, all nerves on edge. Standing at the entrance, saber drawn...

... was Luke Skywalker.

 _Father..._

* * *

 **A/N -** Reviews always appreciated! (wink, wink)


	18. Chapter 18

"Let them go, Snoke."

Luke Skywalker spoke each word slowly, deliberately, meaning every bit of it. He forced himself to let go of emotion, but that was getting harder to do by the moment.

 _It's her._

 _Raiah._

He could sense the other one's presence too - Jossen's - but it didn't sing as brightly with the Force, didn't call to him like a light in the dark. A single, pure, beautiful ray of light in this whole, thick, slimy darkness.

 _Focus_

Luke took in a deep breath, and then repeated his request. "Let them go. It's me you want."

Snoke grinned ghoulishly, skin glowing an eerie, sickly pale. "It's been so long, my friend. So long."

Luke's throat tightened unexpectantly. "We're not _friends_." He spat out the word vehemently , eyes narrowed in disgust.

Snoke smiled sinisterly and slowly sauntered up to the Jedi, who took a pace backwards. "I see you took my bait."

As he spoke Rey began to feel faint, as if all the secrets just unveiled were crushing her - Vader had children, Luke Skywalker was her father. It was quite a bit for one day. Finn grasped her arm to steady her, but she was already falling.

Luke's eyes widened, and his breath caught in his chest. Snoke stood to the side, obviously enjoying the moment. Finn and Rose crouched next to Rey, panic flaring in their eyes.

Luke felt torn, unable to fight Snoke and protect the others as well as help Rey.

 _No, clear your mind._

 _Raiah._

 _ _No. You can help her more by defeating Snoke.__

 _ _I can't lose her again.__

 _ _Being a Jedi means sacrifice.__

Luke closed his eyes and prayed to whichever Force-Ghost was watching that he would have sufficient strength. Slowly he raised his eyes to glare into Snoke's foul yellow ones. "It's me that you want, Snoke. Not them. Kill me if you want to, but let them _go._ "

Rey blinked groggily, slowly raising herself to a seated position. _What's going on?_ She looked up and saw Luke and Snoke, practically nose-to-nose, and remembered. _Luke is my father._

Now that she had had enough time to process the information, Rey felt an eerie sense of calm, just a mild curiosity to see what would happen next. The shock of Snoke's words had already faded to be replaced with a deep feeling of hurt. _He left me._

Luke exhaled slowly, trying not to wince at Snoke's rancid breath as the Supreme Leader began to speak again. "I can hardly believe it, you know. The _mighty_ Luke Skywalker falling for such an obvious trap." Snoke's gloating rang off the red walls, and Luke felt a growl raising in his throat. He carefully pushed away his anger and barely hissed out the words, "I'm only going to give you one more chance. _Let. Them. Go._ "

Snoke nodded slightly, clearly enjoying what was to come next. "Mmm, _no_."

Before Luke could grasp his lightsaber the Supreme Leader had his out, except it was a deep, sinister black, the color of a starless, hopeless night. Before either of them could make a move, however, another figure rushed into the room. "Need a little help, uncle?"

Snoke gasped and looked up, obviously not having expected this. Before he could say anything Leia stepped into the room, too, blaster in hand but a saber clipped to her belt, the blue one. "It appears you're outnumbered, Leader."

Snoke hissed and retracted his weapon. He leaned closer to Luke, teeth bared. Inwardly he kicked himself for having dismissed his Praetorian guards. "You may have won this time, _S_ _kywalker,_ but don't think you're going to get this lucky again."

Before any of them could react Snoke dashed out of the room, bolting for his ship, but no one gave chase. Luke hastened to his daughter's side while Leia and Ben saw to Finn, Rose, and Maz.

"Raiah," he whispered, gently stroking her hair. "It's you."

Rey gazed at him, unable to tell if that feeling inside of her was fury or relief. "Why," she whispered, "why did you leave me?"

Luke briefly closed his eyes, allowing himself a moment of grief. When he opened them again, Rey could see they were brimming with tears. "Rey, I never left you, I promise. I would never do that. It was someone else."

Rey's ears were buzzing, hardly able to believe what Luke was telling her. _H_ _e really didn't leave me? Or is he just lying, trying to cover up his own mistakes?_

Luke gently placed a hand under her arm, helping her to stand up. "Raiah- " he began, but Rey interrupted him. "It's Rey."

"Rey," he repeated, emotions flickering in his tone. "I know you must have a lot of questions, but right now we need to get out of here. I will answer them, I promise.

Rey nodded noiselessly, feeling totally devoid of emotion. "O-okay."

Luke smiled and turned to his sister. "I thinks we'd better get going."

Leia smirked at him. "You _think_?" Behind her Ben smiled, too, but it looked forced. Luke couldn't say he didn't blame him. After all, the poor kid had once served Snoke in this very chamber, and coming back definitely hadn't been the warmest sort of homecoming.

Slowly Luke helped Rey stand, and together they made for the wide black doors. Outside laid several Stormtroopers, dead.

* * *

There are different kinds of quiet.

Some quiet is good and relaxing, the kind that shows a well-earned rest.

Other kinds can be unnerving, like the quiet before the storm or while you're slowly sneaking around a First Order ship, praying to remain unnoticed.

Another is an awkward silence, where you hope that, by some random miracle, everyone will completely forget what you just did.

And there is another one, the kind that is swirling with emotions and feelings, but unable to express itself in words. The kind that you wished you knew how to break, but at the same time are content to jus be silent and think.

The Falcon was submerged in this sort of quiet, and the seven of them were content to keep it that way.

* * *

When the Falcon landed on the base, there was a small crowd waiting for them, including a very anxious-looking Poe and an 'I am totally indifferent' Han, Lando nowhere to be seen. The moment Finn stepped off the ship Poe strangled him in a bear hug.

"Buddy! I was so worried about you!"

Finn just nodded, all the secrets and action of the past day a little much for him.

Next came Ben, who was immediately snatched into the hug, along with Rose. Maz stood to the side, smiling softly, sadly.

Rey stormed off the ship and all but ran to her quarters, blandly ignoring Luke's startled cry and Poe's call of concern.

Leia stepped off next with Luke and walked up to Han, who was looking worried and relieved at the same time.

"It's her, kid, isn't it?" he asked gruffly, and Luke managed a slight nod. The tears he'd been holding in for so long finally chose to show themselves, and he pressed himself closer to Han's jacket, wishing that he could just disappear from the galaxy altogether. _But that didn't work_ , he reminded himself ruefully.

Leia gently stroked her brother's hair, hating the feeling of helplessness that was becoming more and more common. "Why don't we go inside?"

Luke murmured his consent, and together the three of them clambered up the steps to Leia's private quarters. Inside Luke collapsed onto the bed, and was quickly joined by Leia and Han, trying to comfort him as best they could.

"It's not your fault, kid," said Han, groping for the right words. "It's just - well, most of the things in your life weren't your fault, an' I know it isn't fair, but we're here for you."

If Luke heard a word Han said he chose to ignore it. "She hates me," he whispered, despair mounting. "She hates me and has every right."

Leia sighed and wrapped her arms around him. "She doesn't hate you, Luke. Rai - Rey is just upset. I'm sure she'll get over it."

Luke blandly nodded, not believing a word his sister was saying.

" _She's right, Luke_."

Luke gasped, and Han's eyes narrowed. "Kid? What is it?"

Luke swallowed, wondering if it was just his mind or actually Anakin. "N-nothing." _At least, nothing that you need to burden yourself with._

Before Luke could explain any further a knock sounded on the door. Leia groaned and rose, hugging her brother tightly. "I have to go. Try not to blow anything up, alright?" That was enough to provoke a smile from Luke, and she hastened out the door.

Han ruffled Luke's hair on purpose, knowing how much his friend hated it. The reaction was as expected, and Han couldn't help but chuckle. "It'll be alright, kid. You'll see."


	19. Chapter 19

Lando crouched on the ground just outside the Rebel base near the X-Wings, lost in thought. He was really trying to distract himself because, for some reason, his mind was insisting to make him think about Jossen.

Not Lorea. Jossen.

The whole time Luke and Leia were off rescuing whoever it was he had been thinking of no one else, and when they came back the pull had grown stronger, almost threatening to tear him apart. Leia had come by a few moments earlier to check on him and warn him to leave Luke alone, he needed some alone time. The General's eyes had glinted with something different, like naughtiness and yet purpose, and a part of him, albeit a small one, wanted to know what it was.

 _But it can't be more important that Jossen_ , he told himself glumly.

"Hey, Lando!"

Sighing, Lando slowly heaved himself to his feet and made his way towards the (arguably) ex-smuggler. The latter had a wide grin on his face, and Lando felt annoyed that others could be having such good times while he had lost so much.

 _Although, to be fair, Han's lost a lot, too._

Trying for a grin Lando looked up at his friend. "What it, _old_ buddy?" Lando emphasized the word 'old', knowing full well how much Han hated to be reminded of his age. Han pressed his lips firmly together but said nothing, excitement apparently more important that a wisecrack.

"You'll never believe what happened!"

 _Lemme guess. Now Luke's daughter miraculously survived, too?_ Aloud he said, "I dunno, but I bet your dyin' to tell me."

Han laughed and clasped a hand on Lando's shoulder. "C'mon, you _have_ to come and see this."

Lando let out a breath, wondering how would be the best way to say no. "See, I-"

Han grasped his arm before he had a chance to say anything further. "Come _on_!"

Lando surrendered to his friend's pressure and allowed Han to lead him past the creepy yellow ducks (every time he turned around there was one watching him), under some trees, and through the docking bay towards one of the numerous command areas. Inside stood that scavenger girl, Reana or something like that, Commander Dameron, Rose, and...

 _No..._

 _Jossen?_

Lando gaped at his son, hardly remembering to breath. _No..._

Right away his brain began to insert its own commentary. _Wait a minute. Jossen was six when he died, and that was six years ago. Why is he an adult?_

For a moment he wondered if maybe this _wasn't_ his son, but the resemblance was unmistakable. _It has to be him!_

Incredulously Lando turned to Han, finally understanding his friend's unusually jovial mood. _He knew..._

"I-is this...?"

Han nodded slightly, grinning even wider that before. "You were always a good one at guessin' things, buddy."

Lando turned back to his son, swallowing hard, suddenly acutely aware of three piercing gazes trained directly on him. Fortunately, Han seemed to notice this, too.

"C'mon kids, give 'em some space."

Rey, Poe, and Rose reluctantly trailed after Han out of the room, leaving only Jossen and Lando. The former seemed to be as clueless as Lando was.

"Err... why are you looking at me like that?"

Lando took in a shaky breath, fighting back he rising lump in his throat. Swallowing, he said, "They told me you were dead."

The younger man's perplexity only increased. "I-I _know_ you?"

Lando grinned wryly, inner scoundrel-ness kicking in. "Well, I thought that my rugged good looks would've given that away." He paused for a moment, waiting for his words to sink in. "I'm your dad, Jossen."

Finn's eyes went round as saucers, mouth hanging wide open. "No-no that's not true, that's impossible, it's... wait, my name's not Jossen."

"Ah... yes, it is."

No, it isn't."

Like father, like son.

"Alright..." Lando gently extended a hand and brought it to rest on his son's shoulder. "What is it, then?"

Several thoughts instantly flirted through Finn's head. _FN-2187, Finn..._

 _... and now Jossen. Hell, I have a lot of names._  
Finn grinned softly, comfortably aware of Lando - no, _his father's_ \- hand on his shoulder. "I-its Finn."

Lando cocked his head to one side. "How did you get that?"

"Well, Poe gave it to me after I told him my Stormtrooper number, which was while we were in the stolen Tie Fighter because I helped him escape..." Finn trailed off, suddenly realizing how very _stupid_ he was being. Nearly all his life he had dreamed of meeting his parents, and now here he was, talking to his honest-to-God _father_ , and he was talking about his name.

How very, very, very stupid indeed.

Lando licked his lips, unsure about how to react to his son's name. He had a thousand more questions banging around in head, like _how the_ kriff _are you an adult, you are only twelve!,_ but they could wait.

In the meantime, father and son grasped each other tightly in an official Calrissian-family hug, perfectly willing to keep their and every other question unanswered for now.

* * *

Finn sat next to his father (his father!) by a small river with Han, who was trying to catch them up on what hah happened. Finn especially, who had yet to know how the First Order had risen and all. Stormtrooper classes had said absolutely nothing about it, and Poe hadn't had much time to tell him, what with the mutiny and all.

Han took a deep breath and began to speak. "Long ago, all the planets of the Republic lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the First Order attacked. Only the Jedi, master of the Force, could stop them, but when the universe needed him most, he vanished.

"Six years passed and you'n BB-8 discovered a new Force-sensitive, a scavenger named Rey. And although her lightsaber-swinging skills are great, she has a lot to learn before she's ready to save anybody. But we Rebels believe Rey can save the universe."

Han stopped and sucked in some air, evidently out of breath.

Finn nodded slowly, giving his mind time to process the information. Not that that wouldn't have been a problem, thought. His mind was already blown so much that it felt impossible to blow any further.

So..." Lando's voice broke into the momentary silence, edged with curiosity. "I couldn't help but notice that you are only twelve years old.

Finn smiled slightly. "Yeah, about that. See, the First Order gave something to the younger recruits so that hey would grow up faster. The mods wore of once you reached eighteen, though."

Lando growled slightly under his breath, furious that someone would do that to his son. Han placed a hand on his shoulder, looking worried, and Lando did his best to relax.

'Alright. Well, I was told that you died on Coruscant when the First Order attacked it." _Along with your mother_ , he added silently. "Apparently Old Man (here Han muttered something under his breath) thought so too. Got any clarification on that?"

Finn shook his head, looking just as disappointed as Lando. "No, the First Order brainwashed all the new recruits, which included induced memory loss.

Lando nodded sharply, rage growing even more. He was able to keep it in check, but only thus.

"Oh. Well."

The small part of Lando that was beginning to hope that Lorea could be alive too began to fade. Inwardly he told himself that having Jossen back should be enough, but deep down inside he knew it could have been better.

"Y'know..." Han's gruff voice broke into his speculation. "I know that Jedi, or at least Luke can play with people's memories, take them away and such. Mebbe you could ask him to help out Junior here?"

Lando grinned widely as well as Finn, feeling his spirits soar in a way they hadn't for a long time. "That sounds just fine, Han. Just fine indeed."

* * *

Luke sat on the ground of is tiny quarters, deep in meditation. A small smile played on his lips as he felt Lando reunite with his son. He knew that he should be happy for his friend, but his bittersweet reunion with Rey had been heartbreaking, and seeing Lando and Jossen together really brought that thought home.

Sighing, he brought a hand up to wipe away the tears that were beginning to dampen his eyes. As much as he tried he couldn't push away the thoughts of what had happened last night. All morning he had toyed with the idea of going to see Rey, but inside he knew she didn't want him. _And she has every right_ , he told himself bitterly. _I failed her._

Shaking his head to clear it, he tried to focus on something else instead. Like maybe the fact that his father had spoken to him last night.

Luke wasn't entirely sure it had been Anakin's voice that he had heard, but it was probably the case. Luke sighed and shifted his legs slightly. None of the Force Ghosts had talked to him at all since Ben went amok, but maybe now that he was back they would start speaking to him again. Force knew hoe much he wished either of his parents could offer some comfort right now.

Groaning, he picked himself up, silently cursing at his old age. True, forty-eight wasn't _too_ old, but it wasn't exactly nineteen, either.

A knock sounded at his door.

* * *

Darth Jar Jar Binks silently prowled along the base, taking in every hall, every room, every hidden little crevice in the rocks. At long last he found what he was looking for, stashed into a small compartment on an old YT-1300 light freighter - a hunk of junk, really.

Slowly, he brought his comlink to his face. "Meesa found the weapon, Master."

* * *

 **A/N -** For those of you who know Guardians of the Galaxy and/or Avatar the Last Airbender - yes I did do those cameos on purpose. Once the idea popped into my head I couldn't resist. Don't forget to review!


	20. Chapter 20

Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, Lando, Finn, Poe, Rey, and Rose all stood around a small table in the command center, Maz having gone back to Takodana for some 'unfinished business.' She had had a small conversation with Luke before she left, the details having yet to be known to most. Rey was staring directly down at the table, purposefully avoiding eye contact with anyone. Finn kept sneaking worried glances at her,but she still didn't look up,

Leia cleared her throat, "I would just like to clarify a few things. I understand you mission went awry and you were all captured, and as for Rey Holdo captured her?"

A nod indicated the affirmative.

Leia went on. "You all had an audience with Snoke, and he... _disclosed_ some things to you."

Again, a nod. Rey had her lips pressed tight together. Three whole days had passed since the incident with Snoke, and she still wasn't talking to Luke. though whether this was out of anger or cowardice she still couldn't tell.

Finn spoke up. "Before we met Snoke we heard some guards talking right outside of our cell, and we learned something important."

Leia leaned closer to him from across the table. "And what was that?"

Finn hesitated a moment, received a reassuring nod from Lando, and then blurted out, "Darth Vader had kids."

* * *

Anakin and Padme gazed down at their children from the netherworld of the Force, eyes glimmering with a mix of guilt, pride, and love.

Padme leaned closer to her husband, watching as Luke sat by himself next to a creek, the mission to rescue the 'kids' from Snoke having taken place mere hours ago. The pale morning sky was a frosty white, sun glowing a warm, buttery yellow over the water. Unnoticed tears dripped from his eyes, thoughts wholly enwrapped in his daughter, both bringing misery and comfort.

Raiah.

Anakin tried to reach out to him, but Luke gently pushed back - _not now, I... want to alone for a little while._ Luke's voice had cracked on the last few words, and he had quickly withdrawn his Force-presence.

Padme could feel her son's pain clearly, ridden with guilt and despair. Vainly she wished that she could have lived, that something - _anything_ \- could have been different, if only to spare him this heartbreak.

 _My poor boy. He deserved so much better than what he got._

She felt a slight pressure on her left shoulder, turned around, and there stood Anakin, a familiar, melancholy glimmer in his eyes, clearly thinking the same as she.

"He will pull through this."

Padme sighed, and it sounded as though every downtrodden hope, every tear, every heartbreak, every whisper of remorse was echoed through that single breath.

"But he shouldn't have to."

* * *

Rey crouched by the edge of a crystal pond, sullenly watching as rain droplets from low hanging leaves dripped into the blue depths.

Sighing, she righted herself. Her rescue from Snoke had only been about two hours ago, and she felt as though that small, naïve girl from Jakku had been someone else from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

 _That could never have possibly been me._

She slowly extended a finger and dipped it into the icy water, smiling ruefully as she thought of her home world, how this much water would've been unthinkable. She looked up and strained to see the other end of the pond, but a low, dense fog hung over the ground, giving everything a chilly, mysterious feel.

Rey clenched her teeth tightly and drew her hand out of the water as she thought of what Snoke had told her about her father. She felt torn, knowing that whatever she did next would only bring pain.

She let out a small laugh, thinking about how very ironic it was that her whole life she had longed for family, but now that she had one she could feel nothing but hurt and betrayal.

Unwillingly she heard Snoke's voice whispering in her mind, playing over and over like a broken holovid. " _I could give you a home, a family. Isn't that what you've always wanted?_ "

Rey shook her head sharply. wanting nothing more than to wake up in her AT-AT on Jakku, let the past few days be nothing more than a dream, but she knew that the past would haunt her forever.

She let out a deep sigh and brought her knees up to her chin, musing about her relationship with her father. She didn't hate him, at least not quite, but she certainly didn't love him, either.

 _He said that he didn't leave me, that someone else did. But why didn't he come back, go looking for me?_

" _I could give you a home, a family._ "

* * *

Luke sat by the edge of a small pond, staring at his father's lightsaber. The mission to rescue Raiah and the others had been about two hours ago, and the pain certainly hadn't subsided yet. Han's words, while they had been meant well, felt like empty promises, a broken shell that could never be fixed.

Smiling sadly to himself he set his saber aside and dipped his hand into the water, gazing across to the other side of the creek. The fog was too thick to see anything, and he wasn't using the Force at the moment.

He screwed his eyes tightly shut as he recalled what Snoke had said, had called him - _friend_. As though that terrible monster had no qualms about hanging that word over his head, mercilessly reminding him of the past. He winced as he remembered Raiah's eyes, so hurt and empty - " _Why did you leave me?_ "

Slowly tears began to trickle from his eyes, but he quickly brushed them away. _No. I can't mourn, not when there is so much to do._

Shakily he drew a small, black, leather notebook from his robe, something that he had been holding onto since returning to Tatooine after the temple was destroyed. He'd found it laying among the scattered debris of what he once called home, along with a short, sweet, heartbreaking note from his aunt. It had been a birthday present intended for the day after they died, which had been his twentieth birthday.

It had taken him three weeks after joining the Alliance to realize it.

Aunt Beru had always known that he liked to draw, and he still did, clinging onto that small pastime as thought it were the only thing that connected him to his childhood, that past life of a very different boy.

Carefully he turned the thick leaves of paper over and began to sketch a pond, with a thick cloud of mist hovering over it.

* * *

" _Darth Vader had kids._ "

Luke Skywalker had many regrets, thus having many wishes that the past could have been different.

Ha wished that his father had never turned to the dark side.

He wished that he and Leia could have grown up together.

He wished that he could have known his mother.

He wished that Ben had never turned to the dark side.

He wished that Janie hadn't died.

He wished that he hadn't failed Rey.

He wished that Snoke hadn't been the one to break the news to her.

And now this.

 _I wish that Finn did not just tell everyone that Darth Vader had kids._

Looking at Leia's face, he could tell that his twin was thinking the exact same thing.

* * *

Leia felt the words ringing in her ears, the very depth of them far deeper than the speaker or any of those present (with the exception of Luke) could ever know.

Instantly her mind began to protest, say what it always did whenever Luke brought the subject up - _Darth Vader was not my father, Bail Organa was._ Yet she knew this was a lie, a falsehood she had conjured up in a desperate attempt to change her past, warp the inevitable reality, to push away from her the truth she knew would always exist.

For the briefest second her face became a display of emotion - grief, anger, wistfulness - but it disappeared as quickly as it came. An onlooker equipped with the Force would perhaps think it to be a trick of the mind, it came so fast.

Unfortunately, one of those onlookers did.

* * *

Han was used to being in sticky situations; it was part of being a smuggler. He had spent uncountable nights sweet-talking his way out of various situations, regardless of what Chewie might say.

They came in all sorts of ways. There was the Tell-Jabba-Or-You-Will-Get-Shot way, the Shoot-Greedo-First-Or-Get-Fried-way, the Don't-Bring-Rathtars-Into-Space way, and now the Pretend-You-Know-Nothing-About-Vader's-Kids way.

It could get very complicated sometimes.

Fortunately for the three of them, he was a good liar, and could fake his way into anything.

So yes, he could pretend to be totally unsurprised by Finn's news.

That didn't stop it from feeling like a punch in the gut, though, especially after seeing the heartbreaking look on Luke's face.

As fleetingly short as it was, it still brought half-buried memories to the front of Han's mind. That look reminded him so much of that innocent, naïve, goodhearted kid he had meet on some run-down cantina on a backwater planet. Han had thought that kid had died along with the second Death Star, that the man who took his place could handle more pain, being so filled with it.

That look on Luke's face proved him wrong.

Oh, he was, so, so wrong.

* * *

Luke could almost feel time stop.

 _No, he did not say that. Oh no, no, no._

It wasn't that Luke was ashamed of who his father was, it was nothing like that. Luke had chosen not to tell the greater part of the galaxy that Vader was his and Leia's father because he knew it would ruin them. Leia would have lost her job, no one would have ever trusted him again, Anakin Skywalker's name would have been ruined.

So, he did his best to keep the secret. It wasn't that hard, really. The Empire had destroyed nearly all of the Old Republic's data files, and it had taken him the greater part of a decade to find something on his mother, much less Anakin.

Hearing Finn say it out loud, however, drove home something that Maz had told him long ago.

 _You cannot avoid the inevitable. You can only hope to go with it, to allow yourself to be pushed by the tide._

Luke let out a shaky breath, quickly concealing his momentary shock which had only lasted for about half a second, anyway.

 _I bet she didn't have something like this in mind when she said that._


	21. Chapter 21

"Her name was Janie Kenobi."

Luke and Rey sat side by side under some trees, a few rough hundred yards from the base. Rey was still angry with her father, but curiosity as to who her mother was had eventually overcome her desire to ignore him. Now, as she listened intently to her father's story, she couldn't help but wonder at the Force's strange sense of humor.

"My... my mother was a Kenobi..."

Luke nodded gently, slightly amused by her reaction. "Yes, your mother was a Kenobi. Daughter of General Obi-Wan Kenobi himself."

Rey blinked slowly once, then twice. "Okay. Thank you."

Luke reached out a hand, his real one, and grasped hers. He paused for a moment, groping for the right words. ''Rey, I know that you must have mixed feelings about me, and I know that you're confused." He paused, waited for her reaction, and then took a deep breath. "I just want you to know that loosing you was the most painful thing that ever happened to me, and I love you and always will." Mentally he slapped himself for the sudden outburst, but Rey seemed to be taking it alright. After a moment she began to speak.

"I'm sorry, too." The words were little more than a whisper, and yet their mass was incredible. Luke's eyes lit up unexpectantly. Rey continued to talk. "I know that I've been awful to you these past few days, and I know that you love me, and I... I love you, too." Her voice cracked on the last few words, and Luke squeezed her hand tighter. Smiling gently, he rested his other hand on her arm, too.

"Sweetheart, you have nothing to apologize for. Nothing at all. What happened was my fault, and what you went through was my fault, too. I'm sorry."

Rey nodded slowly, doing her best to pretend to be affected by his words. Inside, however, she was still furious with him. This whole 'I forgive you' thing was nothing more than a ruse to catch him off guard.

 _At least until I join Snoke_ , she told herself ominously. Fortunately, however, Luke didn't seem to be noticing anything. She smiled brightly, doing her best to imitate h=the most probable reaction.

"I promised Poe I'd help him with his ship. Will I see you later?"

Luke stood up and extended her a hand, which she grasped on to. "Of course you will. Better go on, then. Resistance pilots aren't exactly known for their patience."

Rey nodded, smiled brightly, and then took off towards the hanger. Luke watched her go, doing his best to ignore the feeling of dread looming in the back of his mind. Subconsciously he knew what she was doing, but the other part of his mind refused to accept it. He had lied to himself about the inevitable so much that he almost believed it not to be true.

Sighing, he stretched his legs, wincing as he remembered the chaotic meeting of yesterday. The very one where Finn had said that Vader had kids. Out loud. To several people. Of course, Leia and Luke had quickly covered up, saying that Vader's child was no concern, no he/she was _not_ a Sith, and no, he/she was not going to pose any danger to them. Lying had always been a good talent of his, but always made Luke feel uncomfortable. Being lied to nearly your whole life has that sort of effect. Fortunately, they all had seemed to buy into it pretty easily, with the exception of Rey. Luke smiled ruefully to himself. She was her father's daughter.

)(0)(

Amilyn Holdo knelt before the Supreme Leader, pulse pounding wildly in her head. Painfully aware of the fact that Snoke did not take failure lightly, she waited, breath catching in her throat. Eventually the Leader began to speak.

"I understand that you failed to bring me much information about the current location of the Resistance base?"

Holdo swallowed nervously before replying. "M-my lord, that information was not available at the ti-"

"Silence!" Snoke leaned forward in his throne, a growl sounding in the back of his throat. "I will not take excuses from you. You have _failed_." He all but spat out the last word, and Holdo couldn't help but flinch. Suddenly, his voice dropped an octave. "I do, however, have another task for you." His tone instantly hardened. "See that you do not screw it up."

"Y-yes, my lord."

"Darth Binks is currently at the base, the very one you failed to bring information on. Young Rey is also there, as well as my old pupil, Kylo Ren. If all goes according to plan, Rey should be turning herself in sometime tomorrow. I admit that my plans are rather rushed, but due to Kylo's turning sooner that I expected, you are to make the necessary allowances."

"Yes, my lord."

"If all goes as I have foreseen it, Binks will brings us the blue saber and much-needed information on the Resistance. Rey should be arriving by herself soon after. See to it that Binks returns unhindered."

"Yes, my lord."

"That will be all, Commander."

"Yes, my lord."

)(0)(

General Leia Organa sat at a small, round table, reviewing information on some data pads. Her mind, however, seemed determined to distract her at very possible turn. Currently she was thinking about the little piece of information that Finn had spilled yesterday. Naturally, the rumor that Vader had children spread across the base quicker than water could run, and now nearly all conversation was focused on it.

Sighing, she brought up a hand and rubbed her face. Leia had been feeling rather tired of lately, and not just due to the fact that she and Luke had had one of their 'Vader was our father, Leia, whether you choose to believe it or not' conversations. Despite all the years that had gone by, Leia was still adamant about the fact that _Bail Organa_ was her father, not Vader _._ She knew that her insistence hurt Luke, but he wasn't the only one who suffered from Vader's - sorry, _Anakin's_ \- mistakes.

"Excuse me, General?"

Leia turned in her chair and smiled at the commander in front of her. "What is it, Dameron?"

Poe hesitated a few seconds before answering. "Have you seen Rey?"

Leia frowned. "Not since yesterday. Why do you ask?"

Poe cleared his throat. "We-ell, she promised that she'd help me with my ship, but she hasn't showed up yet, so... I was just wondering if you knew where she was."

General Organa bit her lip. It certainly wasn't like Rey to be late for anything. "I'm not entirely sure, Commander. Perhaps you'd better ask my brother."

Poe paled slightly at her suggestion, but still vigorously nodded. "Th-thanks," he stammered, then made a hasty retreat. Leia fought back the urge to chuckle. The way the pilots revered Luke as though he were a god was quite the spectacle, especially seeing as how Luke was naturally shy and hated drawing attention to himself. Unlike a certain husband of hers.

Smiling ruefully, she turned her attention back to the data pads, Leia allowed worry for where Rey was to fill her mind for a moment, then no more. She had work to do.

)(0)(

Darth Binks crept through the dirty halls of the Falcon, cautiously grabbed the blue saber with a small, rough cloth, and then slunk off the ship. Carefully he made his way towards the cover of vegetation, using the advantage of it being night to its full.

Gently he set the weapon down and raised the comlink attached to his belt to his face. "Thisa Darth Binks to Holdo. Meesa has found the saber an' information an' is gonna go back to First Order fleet muy soon."

At the other end of the line, Holdo stifled a groan. _Why_ , she asked herself, _would Snoke ever train such an idiot as he?_

"Yoosa still theresa?"

Silently cursing, Holdo replied, "Yes, Binks, I assure you I'm still here."

"Then did yoosa-"

" _Yes_ , I heard your report, and _yes_ , I will inform the leader."

"Very goodsa. Binks out."

The comlink went dead. Holdo suppressed the desire to chuck it out into the cold dark vacuum of space.

)(0)(

 **A/N** \- I apologize for the late update. I've had quite a bit of writer's block. Don't forget to review!


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N -** Yesterday, I went to the movies to see Infinity War. During the ads, they showed a little sneak-peak of Solo: A Star Wars Story with a Millennium Falcon tour, brought to you by Lando Calrissian himself. Turns out, the Falcon has a - you'll never guess it - cloak room. Fancy cloaks, casual cloaks, wedding cloaks, in-case-someone's-cold cloaks, and more. So, yes, I had to include it. Infinity War was great, by the way.

)(0)(

Rey carefully slunk through the halls of the Resistance cruiser. doing her best to avoid unwanted attention. A small part of her felt guilty for betraying Finn, but she reasoned this out, telling herself that she barely even _knew_ him.

She still felt guilty, though.

Eventually she reached the escape pods. They had only taken about fifteen minutes to reach, but to her it felt like hours. Doing her best to avoid attention, unwanted or otherwise, she began to lower herself in the pod.

"Whoosa yoosa?"

It took all of Rey's willpower not to scream, first at the voice, then at the... _thing_ that was standing in front of her. "W-who are you?"

"Meesa called Jar Jar Binks!"

Rey nodded sharply, breath coming in short, unsteady gasps. "Right. Erm... what are you doing in an escape pod? I should report you!"

If Binks had any concern of the threat, he didn't show it. "Meesa here to help yoosa escape, okeday?"

"How did you know I was escaping?"

"Meesa has smarts. Meesa getting muy wise and knowing many thingsa."

Rey fought the urge to laugh. _This thing is a few grains short of a desert._ "Alright... you're with the Resistance?"

This time, Binks had the pleasure of giggling. "Nosa, me workin' for da First Order an' Snokesa!"

Rey tried for a smile, half pleased to have a First Order agent with her, and half wanting to run away in fear. "Okay. You'll help me?"

"You betcha betcha!"

"Alright." Carefully she lowered herself next to this...

"What species are you?"

"Meesa bein' a gungan! Weesa bombad warriors!"

Rey decided not to encourage him anymore. "Okay. Where are we headed, er... Binks, was it?"

"Weesa goin' to Starkiller Base twoosa!"

)(0)(

Han stood in his prized ship, casually rummaging through the boxes in the cloak room. Naturally, he found every garment except for the one he wanted. _Maybe Luke could find it with the Force_ , he mused.

As if on cue, said Jedi's frame appeared in the doorway. "Han, I need some help."

 _Speak of the devil._ "Yeah, me too, kid. Think you could-"

"Have you seen Rey?"

The urgency in his friend's voice made Han stop short. "Rey?" He scratched his head thoughtfully. "Can't say I have. Why do you ask?"

Luke demeanor was usually calm and passive, but right now he looked to be five minutes away from total panic. His eyes were glinting with worry Han hadn't seen since the mission on Endor. "I can't find her anywhere. I asked Poe, but he said she had't seen her, so I asked Ben, and then Lando, and th-"

"Whoa, kid, take it easy." Han gently placed a hand on each of the younger man's shoulders. "Calm down. Deep breaths. I'm sure she's fine. Rey's a smart kid." Han cracked a grin. "Must take after her mother there."

Luke managed a smile, albeit a small, forced one. "Maybe." He didn't sound convinced. "Do you think Leia might know wher-"

"Kid, what I say about calmin' down?"

Luke took in a deep breath, brow creased with fear and worry. Sub-consciously he knew what Rey had done, but every other part of him screamed it wasn't true, that she didn't betray the entire Resistance... and him.

"Kid, look at me."

Luke slowly raised his eyes to Han's level. The smuggler tried not to wince at the despair and pain he saw there. "Kid, Rey's gonna be _fine_. Stop worryin'. I'm sure she'll show up." _Sooner or later._

Both men could hear his unspoken words.

)(0)(

"Leia!"

Half sighing to herself, the general turned to find her frantic brother approach her for the umpteenth time that day.

"What is it, Luke?'' she asked, already knowing the answer.

"Do you know where Rey is?"

"Luke this is the _fourth_ time you've asked me today."

"Yes, but-"

"I'm sure she's fine."

"You don't know that!"

Leia's eyes widened, taken aback by the desperation in his voice. "Luke-"

"Leia, she's _my_ _daughter_. _Don't_ tell me not to worry about her and _don't_ lie to me, either."

Leia pursed her lips, groping for an answer. She knew that Luke was only speaking like this because he was upset, but he _did_ have a point...

"Alright, I'll be completely honest with you. I don't know where she is, but _you_ also don't know that she's in danger."

"Leia. she hasn't shown up for the past _fifteen hours._ "

"Speaking of which, have you slept at all in said time?"

"..."

Leia sighed, rubbing her forehead. Luke was usually the more level-headed sibling, not she, but now he seemed to be bent on proving himself more emotional.

"Luke, go get some rest."

"But-"

"I wasn't asking."

Luke crossed his arms over his chest, a fire burning in his eyes, and for a split second Leia actually thought he might shout at her. Then he deflated, shoulders sagging, and Leia couldn't help but feel a drop of pity for him. "Kay," he mumbled, turning to leave. Leia watched him for a moment, then thought to call after him. "Make sure you get something to eat, too."

Watching her brother's retreating form, Leia wasn't sure if he heard her.

)(0)(

"Hey, Ben!"

Ben Solo spun around to find Poe running up to him "Hey," he replied nonchalantly, fighting down the small feeling of dread slowly creeping its way into his mind. "What is it?"

Poe came to an abrupt stop beside him, out of breath. Ben looked at him, half-impressed. _Did he just run the full length of the base?_

"You seen Rey?"

 _Ah_. Ben shoved his hand into his pockets. _So that's what he wants to talk about._ His uncle had already asked him at least a million times if he knew where Rey was. The answer had always been a solid _no, I don't and I really don't think asking every five minutes is necessary._

Luke, apparently, had thought otherwise.

"Do you know?"

Ben jerked his head up. "Huh? Know what?"

"Where she is?"

Having just woken from a nap, Ben's mind was being rather slow at the moment. ''She, who?"

"Rey!"

"Uh..." Ben scratched his head a moment before answering. "Uh, no. I don't."

Poe's anxious expression could rival his uncle's. "You sure?"

"Yeah."

Studying his friend's movements and Force signature, Ben could tell that Poe's agitation wasn't only due to the fact that Rey went missing. _Oh, sweet Force... he didn't actually_ like _her, did he?_

Another close inspection at his friend's face proved otherwise.

"You absolutely sure?"

"We-ell..."

Ben hesitated, unsure of whether to tell him of the nagging suspicions in his gut.

"Well what?"

 _Too late to back out now..._ Ben swallowed, then answered, "I've been having some bad Force-vibes lately..."

Seeing Poe's aghast expression, Ben immediately regretted his words. The pilot looked even more concerned than last night, when he'd told Ben about how Finn and Rey had found out that Vader had kids. Yet _another_ secret he was keeping from his friend. Fortunately, Poe seemed to have forgotten about Vader and his offspring, being so worried about Rey.

"Uh..."

Poe's confused demeanor snapped Ben back to the present. "Ben? You there?"

"Yeah."

Poe bit his lip, thinking hard. At last he answered.

"Do you know where she is?"

Ben took in a sharp breath. _Here goes nothing._ "The Force can be very hard to understand sometimes, and the future is always in motio-"

"But do you?"

Ben stared at the ground. He _did_ know (roughly) where Rey was, but the last thing he wanted was to go anywhere near Snoke ever again. Not to mention his weird, creepy apprentice, Darth Binks.

"Ben." Poe was speaking with an authority Ben had never heard in his friend before. It both impressed and terrified him. Poe leaned in closer, clearly not going to take no for an answer. "Do you know where she is?"

Be swallowed, feeling as thought this were a game of cat-and-mouse. And he was the mouse.

"Yes."

)(0)(

 **A/N -** Review, pretty please?


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N -** Okay, first off, really sorry about the long update, guys! I have absolutely no excuse other than Life. Secondly, I just saw Solo: A Star Wars Story, and it was AMAZING! Guys, GO SEE IT! Anyways, for those of you who are even still reading this, here's the next chapter.

)(0)(

Luke sat meditating in a small but quiet room in the _Falcon_ , grateful for the momentary peace that meditation offered, as false as it may be. Evenly his chest heaved in and out with rhythmic breaths, and it would have been peaceful if not for the muffled sound of voices coming from the cockpit.

Sighing, Luke stood up, wincing slightly at the sharpness in his joints, sure signs of either age or having sat there all night.

Blinking deeply, he slid open the door and strode into the cockpit, where Han, Chewie, Poe, Lando, Finn and Ben were, the last looking extraordinarily nervous. Just like he had been ever since turning back to the Light. Luke bit his lip, pushing away memories of a confident young black-haired boy. And a girl. A brown-haired girl...

"Sleep - erm, meditate well, kid?"

Luke smiled slightly at his friend's ever-adept knowledge of the Jedi. "Yeah. Sure. Where are we?"

Han turned back to the window. "Pretty close. Been gone for about fifteen hours, now."

"We still haven't gotten any contact from the Resistance," added Lando, who was seated at the dejarik table, teaching Finn how to play. He made a move, then continued to speak. "You Force-Folks certain she's on the _Supremacy_?"

"Yes."

"Absolutely."

Lando shook his head at the sound of Luke and Ben being so hasty to answer. He was a man of gambling, and that meant he could tell when the odds were against him. Right now, they were impossibly high. He did owe Han one, though, and like age, his conscious was beginning to catch up with him.

"Alright, alright, just askin'."

Poe sat next to Finn on the couch, absently drumming his fingers on his knee. He hadn't slept for the past two days out of pure worry until Han made him go get some rest, but even then it was short and uneasy, Finn, though being untrained, was definitely handling the stress much better, to Han's surprise.

Ben sat in the co-pilot's seat, Han's pleasure at having his son with him again evident. Luke was happy for the both of them, but a tiny part of him felt jealous that his reunion with Raiah hadn't gone as smoothly and perfect. Hastily he pushed the thought away, chastising himself for being so egocentric. Han and Ben both deserved to be together.

Chewie growled something that Luke couldn't quite catch, but obviously set Han on edge. "Alright, looks like we're havin' company. Five TIEs, 'bout eight-o'-clock."

Luke glanced out the window, and sure enough, there were several dark ships headed straight for them. Before he could ask what the captain's plan was, said scoundrel began to speak. "Big Deal, you and Poe go man the guns. Lando, you'n Chewie go and plug R2 in. Ben, you're gonna fly with me." Ben nodded, smiling slightly, but the sadness in his eyes was as dark as always. "Kid, uh, do whatever Jedi do."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

Han waved his hand absently and went back to piloting his ship. Luke looked around awkwardly, then settled on sitting at the dejarik table, out of the way but ready to give assistance if necessary. Worry for Rey wouldn't give him a moment's rest, especially now that Ben had told him that he felt Rey on Snoke's ship, too. The entire trip he had been silently pleading with the Force, asking it to please not take his daughter from him, not after everything it had already done.

He had already learned, however, that the Force could care less about individuals, so long as its precious balance remained.

)(0)(

Rey strode through the halls of the _Finalizer_ with a Stormtrooper escort, doing her best to ignore the odd stares and whispers coming from the personnel. She kept her shoulders back, chin up, and focused on the _clang_ echoing from where her boots hit the shiny floor. The Stormtroopers in front of her came to a direct stop. Rey glanced up and saw that they were in front of a black elevator. Dutifully she stepped inside.

During the whole trip she felt this odd sensation, as though her moments in the elevator should have been spent another time, with someone else. Eyes widening, she looked up and saw a slim, pale figure dressed in black staring straight down at her. Breath catching in her throat, she quickly glanced away, then looked back. He was gone.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, she looked at the guards, but if they had noticed anything they hadn't reacted. She tightened her resolve and stared straight ahead, forcing herself to stay in the moment. She was going to become Snoke's apprentice and take revenge on the Jedi and the Resistance for abandoning her. She was going to get the justice for her mother that Luke never could. She was going to finish what Darth Vader started. Oh, how she _wished_ she could have been related to him!

At long last, after what felt like a lifetime of waiting, the doors slid open with a _whoosh_. The Troopers gently nudged her forward. Rey clenched her hands tightly together, then released them. Here it was.

She took a step forward, moving almost mechanically. And another. And another. She forced herself to look squarely at Snoke. Snoke, the very being she hated with her utmost core mere days ago. She kept walking.

Snoke smiled, pressing the tips of his hands together. "Young Rey. Welcome."

)(0)(

General Organa filtered through several data-pads in an out-of-the-way storage room, busily searching for the one in question. At last she found it.

Something blue shimmered behind her. She deftly ignored him.

"Leia."

She turned back to the data-pad and began to scroll through it, doing her best to keep the false sense of indifference up.

"Leia."

She placed it down, then grabbed another.

"Leia."

And another.

"Leia, it's about Luke and your niece."

Leia smiled slightly, still keeping her back to him, that presence which felt so sharply familiar. "Since when do you care?"

She could feel the sting her words had caused. Good. She _wanted_ to hurt him.

"Leia, please."

At last she turned around to face him, the current data-pad forgotten in her hand. "In case you didn't get the message, _Vader_ , I don't want to speak with you. "

Her father pressed his lips together, looking down at the ground and then back at her. "Leia, please," he repeated. "Your brother needs you."

"What, just like he needed me on Bespin?"

Seeing the hurt on his face, she almost regretted what she said, then abruptly shoved the thought away. No. She could not feel sympathy for this... this _thing._

"Leia, if you love your brother, you'll listen to what I'm saying."

This made her look straight up at him. "Get out," she hissed. " _Now_."

Anakin frowned, then straightened. "Alright, fine. I'll just talk. Leia, as I'm sure you well know, my granddaughter has... fallen astray."

At this, Leia muttered something that sounded a lot like 'reminds me of someone.'

Anakin continued undeterred. "Leia, the mission you sent is in _danger_ , you know that. Luke especially. You _have_ to tell them."

She turned her back to him and headed for the door. "Good. You told me. Fine. Now go."

When Anakin didn't respond, she glanced back at him. He stared directly back at her, his face a heartbreaking mixture of sadness and regret. She hesitated, hand falling short of the button next to the door. At last she ventured to ask, "Why couldn't you just tell him yourself?"

Anakin smiled sadly at her, the love in his eyes unerring. Leia forced himself to ignore it. "Tell him," he whispered. "Please."

)(0)(

"Come closer, child."

Rey swallowed. The moment she'd been waiting for had finally arrived, yet now she didn't know if she could go through with it. _No. I can't give up now. I can't. I can't. I can't._

At last she forced herself to walk forward.

Snoke grinned ghoulishly. Oh, _yes._ His plan for destroying the last of the Jedi had gone flawlessly. Soon this Rey would be trained enough to kill her cousin, whom he had weakened with doubt and despair. And then her father, but _he_ was to be saved for the Supreme Leader himself, after the betrayal he had shown to Snoke.

Snoke shook his head slightly and once again focused on the powerful source of energy in the room pouring from this girl. "So much strength," Snoke said, savoring her mixed feelings of determination and fear. "Darkness rises, and light to meet it. I warned my former apprentice that as he grew stronger, his equal in the light would rise." He offhandedly grasped Anakin's lightsaber from where it sat on his throne and casually inspected it. "You, I assumed. Wrongly."

Rey forced herself to breath evenly.

"I sense so much potential in you. Now, to uncover the truth of your bloodline..."

)(0)(

 **A/N -** The dialogue from TLJ here all came from the book, as will all of it in the future. I know that some of the words are slightly different, so sorry if anything like that happened. And then, of course, there were some things that I changed... :) Kudos if you review!


	24. Chapter 24

"Han. Han. Han."

Groaning, the smuggler turned over in his bunk, still half-asleep. Absently he wondered why the walls were calling his name . . .

. . . and with Leia's voice. Sighing, he reached out for the com, then pulled his hand back. _I can just say I didn't hear it . . ._

"Han Solo, you pick up this com _right now_!"

Mind now fully sharp, awake, tired, and agitated, he scooped up the annoying hunk of metal and switched it on, masking his annoyance from his voice. "Solo here, Your Worshipfulness. It's three in the morning."

"Han, I need to talk to Luke."

Any efforts at keeping a good mood for his wife immediately vanished. "Why couldn't you have commed _him_ and not woken _me_ ," he sputtered. "And why didn't you try to contact us until now-"

"Han."

"Fine."

Rubbing his eyes, Solo forced himself out of the warmth of the bed and into the cold, cruel, tedious depths of Life. Sluggishly he pulled on a shirt, eyes still half-closed. Reaching for his boots, he yanked them on, grabbed his blaster from where he had tossed it last night and shoved it into the holster he'd slept with on. Finally, he walked out of his cabin, the door sliding shut behind him.

" . . . And that's when I shot the guy. Took his head clean off."

Han strode into the main area to find Lando, ever the attention hog, keeping Finn and Ben occupied with stories from his time as a smuggler. Even Poe was enraptured by his storytelling, momentarily forgetting the inevitable peril that lay in wait for them. None of his exploits were quite so impressive as Han's, but hey, why should he be the one to crush his friend's fantasies?

Han glanced around, then turned to face Lando. "Is Luke here?"

Lando shook his head. "He went to - actually, I'm not sure where he is."

Ben jumped in. "I think he's in his cabin."

Han smiled at his son, causing the boy to glance away quickly, almost shamefully. Han's face immediately fell. "Okay. Thanks, kid."

Ben didn't acknowledge his father's praise, just turned back to Lando.

Han swallowed down an unexpected lump in his throat. He glanced out the pilot's window to cover up, ensuring that they were still in hyperspace, and then stepped out of the room. The com buzzed in his pocket. "Yeah, yeah," he grumbled.

Pressing the button, he slowly stepped into Luke's cabin to find the Jedi sitting cross-legged on his bed, staring at a holo. He didn't glance up when Han entered. The smuggler gently lowered himself on the bunk next to him, glancing quickly at the holo. _Oh, kriff . . ._

"We'll find her, kid. I know it."

Luke jerked his head sharply away from the picture of Little Raiah. "Han, I don't even know if she _wants_ to be found," he whispered.

Han stiffened. No, he couldn't mean . . . Raiah would _never. . ._

 _You thought that Ben would never turn, either. Remember? You were so sure of your precious little son, and he almost killed you that night. Why should Rey be any different?_

Han swallowed painfully, lips pressed into a thin line. Suddenly, he remembered why he had even come in here in the first place. Hastily he shoved a hand into his pocket and yanked out the com. Holding it out, he put on his best Sabaac face. "Leia wanted to talk to you, kid," he said gruffly.

Luke nodded and grasped the com shakily. Almost mechanically, he flicked it on. "Skywalker here."

The other end crackled to life. "Luke, father wanted me to-"

"Wait, _what?_ "

Han had seen enough Skywalker Family Drama to know that this was his cue. Hastily he scrambled off the bed and out of the room. "See ya, kid," he called over his shoulder.

Leaning his back against the closed door, Han took in a deep breath. Even without having the Force, he could still sense that something was happening. Something bad.

"For once in your life, Han Solo, you are correct."

The smuggler nearly jumped two feet in the air, hair sticking up and eyes as wide as a moon. "Maz, what the _hell_ -"

)(0)(

Rey kneeled before her leader, face completely wiped of emotion, and head filled with First Order propaganda. Snoke had not hesitated on informing her of her father's heritage and everything Ben had done. Now she felt determined, any trace of light completely destroyed long ago. All she could feel was anger: anger at her father for leaving her, anger at being forced to scavenge for a living by herself, for being left to starve and die alone. Anger for her family betraying her. But the Supreme Leader would never leave her. Rey smiled to herself. He would never lie nor betray her. Ever.

Snoke cocked his head slightly, then began to speak. "My apprentice, you bear the blood of Lord Vader in your veins. You carry his courage, his ambition, his strength. A strength that Skywalker destroyed." Rey licked her lips, keeping her gaze trained on the ground. The Supreme Leader leaned closer. "He exploited this weakness in Kylo Ren, also. Will he do such a thing to you?"

Rey's heart quickened. "No, master."

Snoke broke into a foul grin. "Yes. You are strong, young one. Skywalker, however, is stronger. Therefore, he must die."

Rey tensed, though whether it was from determination or fear she couldn't tell. Snoke continued to speak. "The only thing that stands between us and total universal conquest, my faithful apprentice, is him. It was he who destroyed the Empire, who was wise enough to hide. A coward's move, some may say, but . . . well, enough of him. Young Rey, the time to begin your training is now."

)(0)(

"Leia, give it to me again, but slower."

"Anakin said that you're walking dead straight into a trap, and if you don't swallow your stubbornness and listen to your sister, you will only make everything worse."

Luke's eyes widened, mouth agape. "He actually . . ."

Leia sighed, the soft noise just barely audible through the com. "Alright, so I exaggerated a bit. Please, Luke, listen to me - him, I suppose." Luke lowered his eyes, looking anywhere but at the com. How could he abandon his daughter again, no matter what the cost?

"Cost to you or the rest of the universe?"

Hearing Leia's vice snapped him back to reality. "Right," he muttered, almost to himself. "We share a Force bond."

"Luke, please rethink this," his sister urged him. "You _are_ the only Jedi left, and we need you." Luke wondered if that we was her and Han, the Resistance, or the universe in general. "Please." Her voice lowered an octave. _She must be really desperate,_ Luke suddenly realized. "You're our only hope."

Luke bit his lip, hard. "Leia, please don't ask me to do this," he said quietly. Neither he nor Han had ever been any good at refusing Leia anything, and Luke was certain that now would be no exception. Still, for Raiah's sake he could still try.

 _Do or do not. There is no try._

Luke smiled at the memory. It seemed liked an age ago. _I suppose it is._

His eyes suddenly sprung back to the com, remembering with a start that Leia was still there, waiting patiently for him to stop daydreaming. "I . . . "

"Luke?"

He swallowed, eyes squeezing tightly shut. _I'm so sorry, Raiah. I will save you, I promise._

"We'll turn back."

)(0)(

Vice Admiral Holdo, now known to the better part of the Resistance as the Purple Haired Traitor Freak (courtesy of Commander Poe Dameron), stood ramrod straight beside her brother, General Hux, at the bridge of the Supremacy. The pair had their gazes trained on the black, emptiness of space, dotted with stars and planets. Behind them stood Darth Binks, wearing a dark-colored cloak that was pulled up over his head. Holdo tightened her grip on the blaster hanging off her belt. Now or never.

"General, with all due respect, I believe I have an appointment to see to."

Hux glanced at her, suspicion wreathing his gaze, then nodded, clearly not wanting to create a scene in front of all the personnel and the gungan. Inwardly, she smiled to herself. _So far, so good._

Nodding curtly at Binks, she strode out of the room with as much dignity as she could muster. Once alone in her quarters, she whipped out a datapad from where it hid underneath her mattress and typed in the password. Immediately, the screen began to flash pictures of the Supremacy's build plans. Now smiling for real, she searched the information until she found the exact piece she needed.

For Vice Admiral Holdo, as well as her brother, was a madman (woman?), what some would classify as a lunatic, had no sense of loyalty, and would do anything to see those she hated burn.

Including Snoke and that monstrosity, Binks.

)(0)(

Finn sat on the ground next to the escape pod, hastening to prep it for launch. Sick irony clawed at his stomach, combining with worry and disgust. How could Skywalker just leave his daughter like that? His _daughter_? Finn may have been new to this whole loyalty thing, but he sure wasn't going to let it go. Rey was his friend, and that meant a lot.

 _Click._

At long last, the pod opened, hissing out steam. Hastily he scrambled in.

"Where are you going?"

Finn hit his head so hard he began to see stars. His blood turned to ice as he slowly turned around. "L-Luke," he sputtered.

Skywalker nodded. "Yep. Me." He lowered himself to Finn's level, meeting his eyes squarely. "What are you doing?" he repeated.

Finn sucked in a deep breath, about to ramble off some excuse, but anger suddenly filled his senses, not allowing him to feel anything else. _This_ was the man who had called off their expedition to find Rey. He met Luke's eyes strongly back. "I'm going, and you can't stop me." Finn was surprised by the strength of his voice.

Skywalker stiffened, eyes narrowing, and Finn was afraid he'd blown it. Finally, the old man's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Be it far from me to stop someone from doing something that I've done, too." To Finn's surprise, Luke grasped his hand strongly. "Promise me you'll bring her back," he whispered.

Finn nodded. "I promise," he said, throat feeling hoarse.

Luke smiled tightly and clasped him on the shoulder. "Thank you. I'll do my best to cover for you." Finn could only nod, feeling more dazed than if Skywalker had tried to stop him. This certainly hadn't been the reaction he was expecting.

"Okay."

)(0)(

 **A/N -** Please note how I didn't capitalize the word gungan. Reviews, anyone?


	25. Chapter 25

The Supreme Leader sat back in his throne, lost in his maliciously twisted mind. Much sooner than expected had the things he wished for come to pass, and now all that was left was to finish training the girl, let her kill her cousin, and then kill her. Simple. All that stood in his way, and not for the first time, was Skywalker. His father had also been a thorn in the side when it came to evil plans, which was why Snoke had ordered his apprentice, Sidious, to push him to become a Sith. Which had become beneficial, seeing as how the two had ultimately eliminated each other. After all, there could be only one.

Sighing, he smiled coldly to himself. After so many long years, so many carefully planned betrayals and wars, his dreams were finally coming to pass. He may have been ridiculed by the others when Plagueis' apprentice, but now he was master of the Knights of Ren, and the universe. He was especially proud of his handiwork with Kylo Ren. His lineage and personal insecurities had made him the perfect bait. Now, all he had to do was eliminate Skywalker, but that he would leave to Darth Kreia, the Jedi's own daughter.

Everything would turn out perfectly.

)(0)(

Finn's grip was so tight on the controls that he was surprised something hadn't snapped by now. Any second, he was sure that a First Order or Resistance ship would find and obliterate him. True, Luke had said he would do his best, but now, all alone, those words didn't seem to offer much comfort. So much had happened in the last week alone that he felt as though his brain would overload with all the information.

A small (okay, really big) part of him was still gnawing with guilt at having left his new-found father and friends, but Rey felt more important, somehow. Which made him wonder if that made him disloyal to the Resistance. Still, Luke hadn't been mad, even encouraging him to go, but _still._ Did loyalty count when it puts your family and friends at risk?

Somewhere, far beyond Finn's comprehension, stood Anakin Skywalker, gazing steadily at the ex-trooper. "No," he whispered silently, vainly, knowing that only the stars would ever hear. "No, it doesn't."

)(0)(

Poe sat numbly at the Dejarik table, lost in thought. Briefly he wondered what his parents would think of him now, bailing on a mission like this. His father would certainly . . .

 _Father!_

Poe mentally slapped himself, unable to believe that he'd forgotten about Vader being the father of some unlucky kid(s?). Ben, who was sitting next to him, looked vaguely concerned. "Poe? You okay?"

Poe mentally slapped himself again. _Dammit_ , he was such an idiot. Now he'd have to tell Ben, or the Jedi wouldn't let him have any rest. Oh, Poe knew his friend.

Poe took in a deep breath, then turned to face him. "Vader had kids."

All of the color drained from Ben's face. "No," he whispered.

Poe nodded grimly, mistaking his friend's reaction for horror. "Yeah." His voice sunk. "I know."

Ben just shook his head. " _No_."

)(0)(

" _Shh_ ," she hissed. "Do you want everyone to hear?"

Han breathed in and out deeply, eyes closed and heart racing fast enough the win a pod race. "Maz, what the hell are you doing here?" He spoke each word slowly, punctuating every syllable. "And how long have you been here?"

The little alien smiled broadly. "About twenty-seven hours."

Han stared down at her, not in the least amused. "Maz, I know this may not be one of your strong suits, but I want a clean, honest answer. _What the hell are you doing here?!_ "

If Maz was annoyed at Han's overblown reaction, she didn't show it. "I thought it would be nice to tag along. Stretch my legs for a bit."

The taller smuggler crossed his arms tightly across his chest, clearly not buying it. The alien sighed heavily, then raised her eyes to meet his. "Han, the prophesy of the two, one of light, one of dark, heirs of both, is coming - is _happening._ You must let your son fulfill his destiny!"

If Han was moved at all by her words, he didn't show it. "Maz, you don't know for sure it's them. It could be-"

"No. I am certain."

Han sighed, letting his gaze drift though the Falcon's grimy corridors. "I can't," he finally managed."

Maz held his gaze steadily. "You must."

Han stared down at his boots.

)(0)(

Vice Admiral Holdo strode swiftly through the gleaming halls of the ship, careful not to initiate contact with any of the guards or personnel. Inside a pocket in her jacket was a chip.

At last, she reached her destination. Hastily she entered the code, walked into the room, then locked the door. Clumsily she snatched the chip from her jacket and plugged it into the mainframe. At last, the download was complete.

Before leaving, she took out her blaster, pointed it at the computer, and pulled the trigger.

It was time to initiate her plan.

)(0)(

General Hux kneeled before his leader, Darth Kreia standing silently by his side. Snoke was giving him orders, and Hux did his best to commit them all to memory. Personally, he thought that the Supreme Leader looked so drunk from his own power that his mind wasn't . . . _there._ Indeed, Snoke hadn't said anything about Hux not paying close enough attention, which in itself was odd.

Still, he couldn't complain.

 **A/N -** I apologize for the long wait as well as the short chapter. School starts next week, and I've been pretty busy. Check out my Write the World account, stripedfly1001. Oh, and I've pretty much given up on getting many more reviews, so please don't feel like you have to anymore. Here's a cat. =^. .^=


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